why i left eckankar

Wouldnt you want to know everything you possibly could about the history of this group and then make your choice? Twitchell married his second wife, Gail Atkinson, in San Francisco in 1964. Everything is mauve and cream: the water cooler, the paper cups, the walls, carpet, chairs, and even the stereo. He is a reserved man whose dimpled smile betrays a sense of humor. I get the sense his gentleness does not comes naturally, that it has been worked at, with great success. Gross continues to work as a spiritual master, with a small group of devoted followers, many of them former Eckists. Eckankar lost. See! she exclaims. It wasnt just David Lanes personal opinion. Its even available for community events. Every thriller these days has a false ending and then a real ending, to the point that when I watch a pre-Carrie film, I am disappointed at how easily chaos is defeated. He basically took Eckankars money, while saying it was really for Eckankar purposes. Excommunicated from Eckankar, his lifetime agreement terminated, Gross was suddenly penniless. On an Internet alternative religion bulletin board, a former Eckist writes that after reading Lanes book, I felt as if someone had just torn out my insides and served them to me over rice. Losing ones cult is like losing the love of ones life. 'Ohoh! With the popularity of the Ghostbusters logo. The Mahanta is respected but not worshiped . Sex. The Kal is similar to Satan, representing everything that is materialistic and evil, a being of vileness, wrath, and vengeance. Late one afternoon, I visit transpersonal psychologist Charles Richards at his office in Del Mar. It [had been mailed originally] from a P.O. According to Lane, all three letters are printed in the same typeface with the same malfunctioning capital A. Dr. Bluth, Twitchells personal doctor and vice president of Eckankar at the time, has confirmed that he gave Twitchell books from the Radhasoami library. I always have been. But the stuff that Lane goes after has nothing to do, for me, with the validity of the teachings., When I was in Eckankar, one of the things that I really liked about it was its respect for other faiths and that there was no pressure to get anybody to join., Richards responds, Sri Harold Klemp has taken a special effort to make it clear that we accept the value and the need for all different paths and religions, because people operate at different states of consciousness. Instead of asking people to be really skeptical of things, its asking them to believe almost anything. But, Dave, I counter, when you talk to Eckists they always tell you, Im a totally skeptical person. At the time I didnt know who he was. Now, Jagat is actually the first name of a Radhasoami guru named Jagat Singh. 0:53. I noticed in Baja a highway sign that said Rebasar. I said to myself, I bet this is where Twitchell got the name Rebazar Tarzs! Trending in reviews - amazon.com Grosss movements are frail and slow as he removes his dark-blue jacket to reveal a short-sleeved white shirt and tan pants held up with wide red suspenders. Why Ex-Eckists Left Eckankar - Angelfire Moreover, people within John-Rogers group have confirmed that on the day of the robbery he was in San Diego., Lane didnt sue Hinkins, but he did go public with his story. I dont think Twitchell imagined that Eckankar would blossom the way it did. Her enormous eyes seem to sparkle. I like you and Im enjoying our talk, but nothing youre saying is very seductive. But her email was the exact reason why i left. So I came upon this theory called genealogical dissociation. They sent letters about me claiming I was the negative force, that I was predicted from the beginning of mankind., In just one of Paul Twitchells books. The suggested annual membership donation for individuals is $120, a bargain in the miracles-and-freedom market. Eckankar - Hinduism - Oxford Bibliographies - obo But he refuses to reveal details for publication and will only repeat the facts as listed on the death certificate. ", The following year Lane wrote a second paper, The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar. I was obsessed, Lane admits. Yelman is stunning tall and extremely thin, clad in a pale-beige pantsuit, her natural blond hair pulled back into a bun, the bangs teased like feathers across her forehead. Its basically, check your brains at the door when you join a religion.". (Such a quake did occur in 1812.) In order to burn off all their karma in this lifetime and to be released from the cycle of death and reincarnation, Eckists practice detachment from the vagaries of life. If thats his focus in life, then he has a very limited view of life. McMahon explains that plagiarism isnt always what it seems. Where do you think Twitchell got these names?. As I walked through the hotel lobby, I couldnt see to the other side of the room there was so much smoke, and Im very sensitive to smoke yet I felt totally spiritualized. Though wary of groups, Yelman decided to give Eckankar a try. I didnt know why it happened. When youre traveling, you want to have fun; you want to see pretty things. When word got around that I was doing this article, I got an odd phone call from Don Ginn, the California Regional Eck Spiritual Aid. ET. With all this information you have, you could start your own thing. I go, Jerry, I cant do that third-eye patch, turban, the flowing robe I cant do it.. 40 people in a hotel named Hanalei in San Diego for a man who used to draw thousands. I urge, Come on, Dave, its starting. I practically have to pull him into the concert. Gail, after Twitchells death, married his successor, Darwin Gross, in a. "Dummie's Guide to Why People Leave Eck" by Sri Harold Klemp - narkive I did my spiritual exercises daily as much as probably anyone in eckankar. The beggar you meet on the street may really be an Eck Master. Acts of Intolerance Eckankar Religions in Minnesota I think it was a resistance to being in the physical world and being fully embodied, and so I tried to exit a few times. There is, indeed, something ethereal about this frail woman. The program Lane and I attend at the Best Western Hanalei is called The Universal Basics of Life Through Music. It costs $35 at the door. About four weeks later Lanes guru in India, Charan Singh, received a letter, supposedly from another follower in San Diego, criticizing Lane and quoting from his wifes stolen diaries. It never existed. Lane drives me back to Hillcrest. He publishes books through an organization called Be Good to Your Self, located in Las Vegas. My hobbit-like suburban existence was agitated by these chemicals of consciousness, and like any powerful initiatory . I mean, I couldnt get in the door, so I had to climb through the bedroom window. FFCA home - Ritual abuse I dont remember it being this nice. Im worried about getting lost, he says, exasperated. I was very naive. This was 79, 15 years ago. He has no phone. But Eckankars attorneys mailed the package back to me. Secondly, we dont have any kind of communal living. Lanes no longer an easy man to find. As we shake hands I notice hes wearing a gold ring with an embossed EK logo. Previously, my understanding of reality was contoured along the lines of the cultural landscape I was born into. Radhasoami is a yogic teaching that, according to Lane, is designed to enable the soul or consciousness to ascend beyond the physical body to higher spiritual regions by means of an internal sound or life current. Central to the teachings of Radhasoami, continues Lane, is the necessity of a living human master competent in initiating disciples into the practice and technique of listening to the inner sound, contemplating the inner light, and leaving the human body at will. The Indian guru Kirpal Singh figures prominently in Twitchells early writing. I found all this fun, interesting stuff. Answer. He took my wifes diaries and made hand-written notes in the margins. Let's just say that on a relative scale, Jim Jones and Jonestown is the worst and that Mother Teresa of Calcutta is the best in that range Eckankar is kind of in the middle, and I dont think it should rank with the most dangerous of cults. The waiter arrives with our check, and Lane and I bicker over whos going to pay for it. I still have those notes. Lane then quotes these same passages as they were later reproduced, usually word for word, in Eckankar books, with the names changed to the o Eck Masters Sudar Singh, Fubbi Quantz, Rebazar Tarzs, Lai Tsi, j and Gopal Das. The problem is that John-Roger claims to be celibate. His only interest was getting the message out about the light and sound of God., McMahon doesnt blame anyone for being skeptical. With some trepidation, I return to San Diego, exhausted from two months immersion in religion. On the Marie Vega [TV] show in Los Angeles, I said, John-Roger Hinkins robbed my house. He threatened to sue the TV station for a million dollars if they ever ran the program again. In The Sea, the Sea she writes, Far away in that ocean of gold, stars were silently shooting and falling and finding their fates, among those billions and billions of merging golden lights. Lane can be such a card. Blame Eddy for May Gray and June Gloom, Chamise and Buckwheat are blooming, All the Dylan Mulvaney San Diego connections. Shortly afterward, Twitchell claimed, a 500-year-old Tibetan monk, Rebazar Tarzs, appeared to him and instructed him to move to San Diego. He also gave full accounts to the San Diego Sheriff s Department and to numerous news agencies. He jokes about his Nevada cold, blaming it on the dust from the Indian burial grounds being dug up to build housing. Much of Grosss current teachings center around the easy-listening jazz he performs on the vibes. Hes got his music. Its had to be recognized as such in this country to operate as a nonprofit organization. Yet it has a sweetness to it. The religion seems to be centered around spiritual experiences, particularly experiencing the "Light and Sound of God." When Paul Twitchell suddenly died in September 1971, he left no word as to who his successor should be. In many cases, even when they do ask, they face a stony silence from the org, or are told they are being "tested" spiritually, Gross and Gail Twitchell divorced in 1978. To top it off, their white helmets bore an insignia that was remarkably similar to Eckankars circular EK logo. Eckankar is a system of belief that seeks to unify the person's soul with Light and Sound which are twin aspects of the Holy Spirit, or the Divine Spirit. How-to video gives tips on how to survive after leaving the Eckankar cult. I imagine we have a wide spectrum. Hes listed in Ripley's Believe It or Not as having sold an article every day. I never thought he was gay until everybody said, 'Heilo-o, looks like he likes you a little too much, Dave. One of his major disciples, Victor Toso, later revealed that he had kind of a quasicrush on me., Did John-Roger ever make any moves on you?, I was flattered that here was a spiritual master who was spending hours with me instead of dissing me or suing me. This was in 76 or 77, and I was 20 years old, so its like All the President's Men. Yelman received hers while at an Eck seminar in Hawaii. Victims and Survivors: Escapees from the Eckankar cult (The Library of Operating, as I do now, in a professional arts world in which people want a rsum before deciding whether to talk to you, I miss the support of the Eckankar community. So who was this mysterious Paul Twitchell? The sound current was very loud. The minute he saw me he canceled all of his appointments and spent six hours with me., Lane leans across the table toward me and grins. Again, I am reminded of Houdini, whose interest in spiritualism was awakened with his dearly loved mothers death. Lane tells me that former Living Eck Master Darwin Gross is appearing February 11 at the Best Western Hanalei Hotel. and is being financed by them to do his dirty research. In Texas, she says, a disembodied being began visiting her. We figure, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, we might as well call it a duck.". Thats one explanation. Lane leans down to better peer through his window. This guys pretty smart, because he knows that if he pays attention to me, thats a good way of buying me off, so he can spin-doctor my research. As he fetches me a glass of juice, I sit in his cozy living room, which is decorated with family photos, relics from Thailand, and McMahons own paintings, imaginary landscapes with lots of vivid blue. Remember, hed been kicked out of Swami Premanandas church in 1955. Gross and Kurz are joined by vocalist Kim Driggs, an attractive woman with dark shaggy hair. Shortly after . He does that all the time. Rebazar Tarzs, yeah, that Rebazar Tarzs. Basically, I feel that David Lane is making a name for himself by being an antagonist to Eckankar. I hope you all had your seatbelts fastened. Even more moving is Driggss rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Gross sits this one out on a rattan stool, his arms folded over his huge stomach, lost in thought. They fade out clean and quietly. Just when I thought the story was over, a new development pops up, like the arm jutting from the grave at the end of Carrie. Why I Let My Granddaughter, 4, Lose - WSJ Eckankar threatened a lawsuit for the inappropriate use of their trademark symbol on the books cover. Although the Hindi/Punjabi term Ek Onkar (literally "One God/Power") was most likely derived from Guru N nak's Japj (the first set of hymns in the Sikh holy book, Gur Granth S hib), Twitchell altered its original phonetic spelling and definition, claiming that "Eckankar" was a Tibetan . And Twitchell was also very sharp, but maybe not sharp business-wise. I left Eckankar because I was able to prove the concepts of Soul Travel to myself. Lane also appeared on Geraldo Riveras Now It Can Be Told. You can explain it in a lot of different ways. Clearly he is more comfortable with the fluid topography of waves, of meditation, of philosophical inquiry. In October, at a seminar in Las Vegas, Gross was revealed to be the new Living Eck Master when Atkinson walked over to him and handed him a blue carnation. We have a different focus and intent, thats all. Twitchell was living in Point Loma in 1965 when he started teaching workshops and selling booklets on how to leave your body. Youre not going to say, Well, Im a dumbshit. In the early 70s, when I joined, I was dysfunctionally shy, a borderline agoraphobic, afraid to talk to salesladies in department stores. Driving the news: " As the only person to serve as both National Security Advisor and Domestic Policy Advisor, Susan's record of public service makes history," Biden said of the former UN ambassador and national . I cant understand why he would be doing this, because the Eckists have never gone out of their way to hurt him; but he claims that they did, I think, in one regard. In Understanding Cults, Lane published The Criminal Activities of John-Roger Hinkins, a laborious account of Hinkinss alleged break-in and smear campaign. What about Lanes plagiarism charges? I ask. He lives in the San Diego area, but the location is a closely guarded secret. They looked just like the Rod of Power! When she begins her next selection, My Funny Valentine, I lose all objectivity*. Geraldo was in New York, and I was on satellite hookup at Universal Studios in the San Fernando Valley. Hes sitting on a couch in the small lobby outside the conference room. Not the truth itself. Within two years Klemp fired Gross, accusing him of negativity, spiritual decay, and embezzlement. The spiritual exercises are a form of prayer. Gross smiles to himself as he hits the vibes. The 69-year-old joined the broadcaster in 2008 after 22 years in football management. Do you think it would be an easy thing to do?". That is, people have to find meaning in their lives, regardless. Rosanne Cash sings, Some dreams die with dignity. Im just saying that if he had a personal problem with some Eckists, this is not an indictment against Eckankar, this is an indictment against the individuals hes had contact with. Why is Eckankar not uplifting? - YouTube Buying a used car you at least look underneath the hood, hit the tires, maybe take it to a mechanic to check it out. Theres no calm center to this storm. And it continues to rain. Understandably, he changed the names of his sources, because he didnt want people to know about his past. Susan Rice, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is stepping down from her post, President Biden announced Monday. A friend from La Jolla gave me a copy of the article that David Lane is writing called the J. R. Controversy. His disciples told me he would pick a guy every night out of the staff and claim that they needed to have sex with him in order to increase their aura or they needed, pardon my language, a rectal innerphase in order to burn off karma., He has thus thing called aura innerphasing, where you do aura balancing, soul balancing, etheric balancing. It was like an outpost of spirituality. Eckankar is a new religious movement founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965. The former members of Eckankar make a mistake in here thinking procedure. He claimed to have been born on a boat on the Mississippi a few minutes after a great earthquake shook the mid-South and formed a lake in its wake. I wrote to Jerry, way to go, Jerry! No, I sigh, Im not afraid of those people.. Because that was my condition if I could just study in the closet, then I would join. Lane imagines himself driving, Let me see, I turned left here, now right, then I drove straight for a bit. Using this gyroscopic homing pigeon technique, he leads me straight to his little white Nissan. Lane does arrive, at one oclock Thursday afternoon, on time to the minute. Im also aware that in at least two previous lifetimes I was killed because of my beliefs, specifically in reference to Eckankar, and so I think some of that karma was still sitting heavily on my chest, so to speak., Im impressed with Yelmans absolute assurance. In order to help the reader understand where I'm coming from, I am an active higher initiate in Eckankar who has been on the path since the mid-80's. I first read this book over a decade ago because I knew Ford as an acquaintance and I respected him as a dedicated leader in Eck. Peter Skelskey Lane asks me if I want to see Twitchells Del Mar home. Here's something you might be interested in. Nowhere in any of the Eckankar press materials is Gross mentioned. Cult Survivors: Victims of the Eckankar cult (The Library of Truth) Actually in the moment it was okay, I hardly noticed it. Hi, Im Dave." Love and Sex Eckankar Religions in Minnesota - Carleton College Sri harold klemp is the 973rd living eck master in an unbroken line of eck masters. I'd heard rumors about why he left but I wanted to see for myself. Eckankar is against psychic . The mastership of Darwin Gross is a black cloud in Eckankar history, a history that Eckankar wants to erase. Finally, as a last resort, Lane suggests we exit the parking garage and then walk down the ramp where we drove in. On the negative side, Twitchells teachings were synthesized without really maturely thinking whether these different teachings fit in together. Lane smiles to himself as if he were envisioning Paul Twitchell hunched over some Radhasoami text, scribbling away. Followers of Eckankar believe that beyond the physical world there are many other realms existing at higher vibratory rates. Home study discourses and musical tapes are also available. Are your tax dollars being spent by this group? So they interviewed me, and I had this rainbow tie on, and Geraldo and I were going at each other. All that junk you told him made me sick. When the Vietnamese fellow was in San Diego, he saw a poster for an Eckankar event that had a picture of Rebazar Tarzs on it, and he recognized him. Hes touring the Southwest, as we speak. They say, the message works for me, the contemplation works for me. Several hundred members of Eckankar live in the San Diego area, but not all of them participate in local events. Thered be nothing to believe. I became a teenager and all this other stuff was grabbing my attention., I keep looking around at Yelmans office. For a hundred bucks per year he gives you the divine connection. Its membership today is primarily in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He was obsessed. Tucker Carlson's Great Replacement. During their first six months of membership, new Eckists usually receive what is known as their first initiation in the dreamstate. He said, 'Some of us live the spiritual life, others intellectualize it. Remembering him in his better days, thin and attractive, I am shocked by the corpulent, aging man standing before me, coughing. Spirit can express itself as sound or as bright or even colored lights. Do you know what I mean?. Eckankar did work for me, mainly because its spiritual exercises, like using the mantra OM or HU and focusing on the third eye, are legitimate and used by similar religions that predate Eckankar. In the Army he traveled to Thailand, where he met his wife. There are ECK Temples, ECK Centers, and reading rooms in cities and towns across the . Ex-Initiator's Guide to Eckankar Initiations - narkive Eckankar took off like wildfire, growing from three students to thousands in less than three years. Soul, being a spark of God, is on a journey to find its way home to God, or the Sugmad. Weve had people who have recognized Harold Klemp prior to his becoming the Living Eck Master; he kept coming to them into their dreams. In 1978 Richards moved from North Carolina to San Diego to pursue his graduate training in psychology. (My husband, who had never heard of Atkinson before, sees her as a kind of 60s super-vixen, like Pussy Galore. Here it is. I dont go into Eck centers and walk around and say, Here, read my book. All Im saying is that Twitchell was lying to his constituency. The term God no longer had use for me. Discomfort spreads across his face as I continue, You were the Master most of the time I was in it. Holding my hand, he looks deep into my eyes and says, Im still the Master. Eckankar first caught my attention by how matter-of-fact and logical it was. Eckists are all over the world, and in different walks of life, and from different political orientations, different socioeconomic levels. For a year and a half or two years, says Lane, it was a shoestring operation. The Living Eck Master acts as the organizational head and as a guide to the aspirants spiritual journey. Hes now in Scottsdale, Arizona. I actually kept my phone for years, explains Lane, untilone night when youre asleep and youve got to get up at four in the morning and go to school, you get a phone call saying, Were going to fucking kill you. You know what I mean? What do Eckists believe? What is Eckankar? - CompellingTruth.org I kind of [thought he was a fraud, but at the time he was being nice to me so I wasnt in the mood to expose him. When you look at what we do relative to other religions, it basically is no different, we just have a different doctrine and somewhat different beliefs. Richards flashes me his dimples. They would say that in any college or institution. I talked to Twitchells first wife. Houdini longed to communicate with her beyond the grave. Lanes still a member of Kadhasoami, but hes been reluctant to talk about it, beyond mentioning that his guru Charan Singhs death in 1990 has thrown him into a state of crisis. ECKANKAR. Hinkins also wrote to Charan Singh asking him to use his influence to get lane to stop doing research on him. I feel like Ive stumbled into a New Age greeting card or a novel by Iris Murdoch, try to imagine experiencing this extravagance on a regular basis. Understand that if you read the sacred works of all the religions, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, the Bible, or the Koran, youre going to see references almost exactly alike. He tells me a phenomenal story about an American writer and a European writer who, unbeknownst to one another, wrote identical books and sent them to the same publisher. T he attacks on Justice Thomas never stop. Disillusioned Eckists left the movement in droves. I was 21. Two years later I got a letter from a guy in Canada saying hed discovered a genuine guru. Plagiarism charges fall on deaf ears with Eckists because weve had experiences outside of book learning. Eckankar is cult just like Scientology. 2023 San Diego Reader. Before founding Eckankar, Twitchell was involved in yoga, self-realization groups, and Scientology. I could almost picture the legendary Rod of Power in Darwins hand. Eckankar - religious cults, sects and movements - Apologetics Index Bettina Yelman received her dreamstate while at an Eck seminar in Hawaii. The way to get more income is to have new material, speculates Lane. Besides my straight As, I had nothing to give me a sense of self-worth. As I stroll toward the ocean, through a lush, affluent neighborhood, disappointment creeps over me like the tide. He wanted to make my research more available. It got to the point that it became a mythology in which Twitchell couldnt remember all the names. Murdochs obsession with water suddenly makes sense. Garland decided to withdraw it. Remember, when Twitchell founded Eckankar in 1965, he was living in San Diego, at Point Loma. Those answers were so far-reaching in their depth and breadth, they still help me today, nine years later. So Harold said, Hey, why should we make this difficult for people? You can get in a debate over whether one paragraph in one of Paul Twitchells writings looks like a paragraph in somebody elses writings, but that has nothing to do with your spiritual experiences and the confirmation you get personally through the teachings and your work with the inner master.

Sumter, Sc Police Codes, San Antonio Riverwalk Map With Restaurants, Articles W