When Yelman was six, her family moved to Texas. They were gods to me, and one doesnt question the mating patterns of gods. Eckankar - Reddit Burley, who . In 1977, noting the similarities between Radhasoami and Eckankar, a religious movement founded in San Diego in 1965 by the late Paul Twitchell, Lane wrote a term paper comparing the two for an undergraduate religious studies class at California State University-Northridge. My group is for dumbshits. Instead, Twitchell wrote about Kirpal Singh and Swami Premananda. The lover has lied to you, but the lover is oh so seductive and satisfying, and submission is so thrilling. After reading Eckankar books for a year and a half, Yelman went to a seminar in Las Vegas. Im greeted by a tall, handsome black man with a mustache and short-cropped hair graying slightly at the temples. Secondly, we dont have any kind of communal living. With the popularity of the Ghostbusters logo. For the past 20 years, Lanes books and articles accusing several new religious movements of plagiarisms, lies, inconsistencies, and scandals have raised a fury among true believers. I was very naive. Soul, being a spark of God, is on a journey to find its way home to God, or the Sugmad. He was giving a talk at UCSD, trying to sell his book, preaching against Eckankar and a whole bunch of other religions. Sitting in this pathetic room with its riotously floral turquoise-and-purple carpet, it feels as if nobodys dreams will ever come true. You can explain it in a lot of different ways. In the Army he traveled to Thailand, where he met his wife. We figure, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, we might as well call it a duck.". Do you think it would be an easy thing to do?". 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. 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. in his book, and on every single page I just had to make my own notes. As Yelman laughs, her stiff, angular body quivers with excitement. I did my spiritual exercises daily as much as probably anyone in eckankar. According to one brochure, which invites me to experience the miracle of spiritual growth and to climb the stairway to spiritual freedom, Eckankar membership is said to be renewable on a yearly basis. I like you and Im enjoying our talk, but nothing youre saying is very seductive. In their own words, "The ECK is spirit. Garland decided to withdraw it. I got one of his disciples. Id really start believing Id had a spiritual experience, Id wake up feeling like, Wow! Eckankar works because it doesnt make you have experiences that are impossible to have., What about soul travel, visiting higher planes of existence? Lane swallows his pizza. How wonderful after Eckankar, when I was able to experience the exquisiteness of other musicians and various teachers and realize fully: "This is it. Yelman tells me she was born in Germany. What is Eckankar? | GotQuestions.org I'm a former member of this cult, in America. Imagine it youve got a lot of new clientele out there ready to buy your stuff. He lives in the San Diego area, but the location is a closely guarded secret. Around the same time, the Spiritual Counterfeits Project published its own journal, Eckankar, a Hard Look at a New Religion, based largely on lines manuscript, which they distributed to nearly every Eck center i in the world. I turn on the stereo and stare out the window. I ask, How do you account for Eckankars success? Eckankar uses two things that everybody has to have. The think any actual activ long time member of Eckankar is very happy with Eckankar. That same week, Hinkins wrote to Lane assuring him that he wanted to be friends again and that he had nothing to do with the robbery. I dont remember that second story. So I said, 'You guys can get out of this simply, just explain that Twitchell plagiarized. Eckankar -- Pre Philosophy, Planetary Philosophy Susan Rice, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is stepping down from her post, President Biden announced Monday. ", 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. Much of Grosss current teachings center around the easy-listening jazz he performs on the vibes. As we shake hands I notice hes wearing a gold ring with an embossed EK logo. What I found was so obvious that anybody could have discovered it. And there was a big note on a box that said, NO MORE. No jewelry was gone only research stuff, including materials for my doctoral dissertation., He took my wifes personal diaries, a camera which he must have thought had film in it, videotapes, an address book, and my recipe file containing my favorite recipe for Del Mar lentil loaf. His new title was President of Eckankar. She agrees to provide us with an official photograph of Gross at the vibes, and I leave to find Lane. Grosss fastidious avoidance of the copyrighted term Eckankar is noticeably awkward and circuitous. I said, Yeah, Geraldo, this guy robbed my house, he did this he did this he did that all on national TV. box with John-Rogers own name signed to it., Four or five months later, on October 5, 1984, Lanes apartment in Del Mar was burglarized. But this is not oppressive at all. I never stopped, not even for a minute even though they, pardon my expression, treated me like shit. As I walk away he yells after me, Hang in there!. Paul Twitchell. For free downloadable books, check out our Web site at www.Eckankar.org. Eckists have said that detractors (critics of Eckankar) are people who quit Eckankar because it didn't work for them, or because they failed at the path, and thus can't be taken seriously. But its my vivid imagination, the projections of my own mind, my own day-to-day experiences. Other students of Radhasoami have objected to Lanes critical stance in The Radhasoami Tradition: A Critical History of Guru Successorship, published by Garland. But in buying a religion, youre supposed to wear these narrow blinders, so that if anybody disagrees you can block it out. Outsiders would think they had stumbled into a convention of traveling salesmen. A volunteer raises one arm straight out to the side, and Dawn easily pushes it down. After dinner, she confides, I walked along the beach and sat down beneath a tree to do a contemplation. It doesnt make sense. And all the people kind of looked at me as if to say, Well, jeez, he doesnt look evil. Lane came up and he talked to me and thanked me for coming. Incredibly, I was awake, but still in my inner world at the same time. Once I got into Eckankar I was suspicious that he probably was an Eck Master, but he never really said so., When Yelman was 12 and she moved with her family to California, the visitations ceased. I think it would be wrong of me to say that Eckankar is unique. Why Ex-Eckists Left Eckankar - Angelfire Why you can trust Sky News Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness is to step down after 15 years. Understandably, he changed the names of his sources, because he didnt want people to know about his past. One exclaims, Arent you afraid of those Eckankarists, arent you afraid what theyre going to do?, I take a guilty sip of my drink. Peter Skelskey For a hundred bucks per year he gives you the divine connection. 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.. In the course of his research, Lane discovered information that led him to believe that Twitchell copied whole chapters from Radhasoami texts, lied about biographical details, and misled people concerning the origin of Eckankars doctrines. . The Living Eck Master gives support and guidance for the things that we choose to do. Yelman pauses for emphasis. He may like the trappings, but not the actual duty of it. I keep discovering more and more offshoots, in India as well as here its like a virus, it keeps reproducing itself., You know the ins and outs of how religions are organized, and you're a charismatic person. He extends his hand and smiles broadly. I had out-of-the-body experiences, I had contact with spirit, I saw the blue light, saw all the things they talk about in the books prior to coming to Eckankar. It was hard to leave Eckankar too. When I woke up in the morning, I had an opportunity to ask questions. Twitchell told his second wife, Gail, that he was born in the early 20s. I found all this fun, interesting stuff. They would say that in any college or institution. When it came out, I got a 25-page letter from a group called the Coalition for Civil and Spiritual Freedom. I am skeptical of paranormal claims, because I believe we need to shave more with Occams Razor. Occams Razor?, The principle of competing theories, developed in the 14th Century by a guy named William of Occam, who said that if you have competing theories, go for the simplest theory first if it explains the issue fully. The Rod of Power was passed on to Harold Klemp. Eckankar and I finally reached a point where decades of lies, of half truths, of disappointments, finally came to a head. No, I was excited that somebody would pay attention to my research, Lane exclaims. Now, Jagat is actually the first name of a Radhasoami guru named Jagat Singh. He was obsessed. All that junk you told him made me sick. I dont remember it being this nice. Dont you feel like the Great White Hunter attacking the endangered rhinoceros? Lane responds with animation. 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. Lane also appeared on Geraldo Riveras Now It Can Be Told. Then his widow, Gail Atkinson, had a vision in the night in which Twitchell named Gross. Maybe it was just some neurons firing in the right part of your brain or maybe you had too much dopamine in the frontal lobes or maybe you took an Excedrin four hours ago. We dont want that kind of explanation., Its a beautiful, sunny day. Totally aware, she says seriously. Although i had forgotten my. His only interest was getting the message out about the light and sound of God., McMahon doesnt blame anyone for being skeptical. My hobbit-like suburban existence was agitated by these chemicals of consciousness, and like any powerful initiatory . I am afraid my beliefs will cause conflict within the Eckankar community and it may be best that I leave Eckankar. So you get this juxtaposition, Lane really going off on John-Roger and McWilliams trying to protect J.R.s reputation. *, After such an exhausting chronicle, I feebly inquire, Are you still doing research on John-Roger?. They had this little tape recorder, and I was impressed I thought it was very professional. Lane is convinced John-Roger was involved. Eckankar - Hinduism - Oxford Bibliographies - obo Man, it was a nasty conversation. They say, the message works for me, the contemplation works for me. I hook my mike over the breadbasket and turn on the tape recorder. The treatment of critics, the phony official organizations that are merely cult front groups, and the lies are all the same. Lane and his friends playfully call one another by the names " of Eck Masters. We talk about the Hu as a prayer song or a love song to God, instead of saying its a chant or mantra. This is not the type of individual who was looking for riches he didnt dress well, he didnt have a lot of possessions or anything. Nobody knew hed been married before. The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get more useful information I also have the evidence that David Christopher Lane is an informant for the F.B.l. The ocean was rushingusually I hear a sound that is like electricity, kind of high pitched, but richer, fuller than just electrical buzzing. He wanted to make my research more available. Late one afternoon, I visit transpersonal psychologist Charles Richards at his office in Del Mar. In Eckankar there is a technique called the Golden-Tongued Wisdom, in which you find spiritual guidance through an overheard conversation, a voice on the radio, or the lyrics of a popular song. So I sent my term paper to Eckankar, and then they turned around two months later and said they were going to sue me if I published it. You only here it from those shills promoting the book or on Ford's sites. Recently I have had a spiritual crisis where I stopped believing in the concept of the Abrahamic God. And I saw into the vast soft interior of the universe which was slowly and gently turning itself inside out. It may be a game for Lane, but believers are playing for high emotional and intellectual stakes. See! she exclaims. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Off my granddaughter sprints down the driveway, giving herself a head start, the front gate our finish line. Theres lots of stuff I know about Eckankar, lots of stuff that is real juicy and real scandalous, but I wanted to limit my book to some major salient features about plagiarism and cover-up. Rosanne Cash sings, Some dreams die with dignity. Six DC firefighters, EMS personnel on leave after video shows 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. Actually in the moment it was okay, I hardly noticed it. The bed was overturned, drawers were everywhere. Second, everybody has to dream at night, or most people dream at night, and Eckists dream about Fubbi Quantz or Rebazar Tarzs or Paul Twitchell. I got sick a lot when I was a baby. I asked what happened to my friend, my childhood master. He jokes about his Nevada cold, blaming it on the dust from the Indian burial grounds being dug up to build housing. The Living Eck Master acts as the organizational head and as a guide to the aspirants spiritual journey. Through daily spiritual exercises, one can shift ones awareness from the physical world and soul travel to these higher planes. It was like in my imagination. Another man named Sri Michael Turner, in Tucson, claims to be the 974th Living Master of the Midnight Sun. Recently I have had a spiritual crisis where I stopped believing in the concept of the Abrahamic God. People always say, Leave us alone; Eckankar works. I do leave those people alone. If you want to go and follow a group in which the founder lies to you, whether its about the spiritual masters on the inner planes, about his personal life, or about the sources of his information and his books, well, fine. Its going to be interesting to see how this information gets back to me. 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. Dawn is finishing an applied kinesiology demonstration of the power of Grosss music. Lanes research into Eckankar is meticulously documented. Members are deluded into believing they make spiritual progress, while they are merely psychologically entrapped. During the 30s and 40s, Twitchell was a prolific writer. I bet youve fantasized about it. Lifes kind of sad. Those answers were so far-reaching in their depth and breadth, they still help me today, nine years later. It is the force that sustains and supports all life throughout the worlds or SUGMAD [God]. Why I Left Eckankar 0:53. Its had to be recognized as such in this country to operate as a nonprofit organization. Sex. I dont remember it looking this way, he says pensively. I would raise my head to the stage in rapt silence, devouring every word the Grosses spoke. But its just a few blocks off University.. Eckankar took off like wildfire, growing from three students to thousands in less than three years. Here's something you might be interested in. 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. Hes got his music. Since its early days Eckankar has always really been a religion. Susan Rice to leave White House domestic policy post Finally, as a last resort, Lane suggests we exit the parking garage and then walk down the ramp where we drove in. I open the door to a boyish 38-year-old with a full head of healthy brown hair. Rather, hes tried to make the teachings more accessible to the average person whos interested in religion or spirituality but may not be familiar with a lot of the terms that weve used in the past., What alternative terms have been developed?, Instead of talking about contemplations or the nurat or the surat technique for the light and sound, we just say we do spiritual exercises. He didnt bring up David Lane, but he requested that I not dwell on Darwin Gross. Lane places his hand to his face like a phone receiver, Hi, Fubbi, this is Gakko. I choke down the last gulp of my Green Garden vegetable cocktail and ask,. The Temple of Eck in Chanhassen [Minnesota] is open to people of all faiths to come, to attend the worship services, maybe just to enhance their own beliefs. The spiritual exercises are a form of prayer. Then she asks him to think about Grosss music as he again holds out his arm. What it means is that I ultimately dont know. No. Here's why Eva Burley has left the Parkway softball program So I asked, 'Who is this enlightened being? It was Jerry Mulvin! WHY I LEFT THE MASTER. Whereas Sudar Singh [another memorable character in Twitchells cosmology] isKirpal Singh. In The Making of a Spiritual Movement, Lane quotes many passages from Twitchells magazine articles written in the 60s in which Twitchell cites Swami Premananda, Kirpal Singh, Meher Baba, Guru Nanak, Kabir, and even Jesus. I get the sense his gentleness does not comes naturally, that it has been worked at, with great success. He had to make it seem like its his own creation, because if he linked the two hed lose his potential clientele., It was to hide these past connections. I just left Eckankar Now what do I do Final - YouTube I keep waiting for Gross to give a speech, but he never does. I had the following experience, I was taken back to the crucifixion. Lane asks me if I want to see Twitchells Del Mar home. An Independent Critique of Eckankar - Page 9 - Angelfire 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. If we were to rely on books as the source of our knowledge and our truth, wed be really hurting, because wed be all going in different directions. Nowhere in any of the Eckankar press materials is Gross mentioned. Some left the movement. 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. In Eckankar, since everyone is Soul, everyone is worthy. Last year, former cult member Peter McWilliams published a scathing tell-all, Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You; Novembers Vanity Fair linked Arianna Huffingtons allegiance to MSIA to her husbands unsuccessful senate campaign; and the March issue of Playboy ran a detailed expose. I could almost picture the legendary Rod of Power in Darwins hand. Eckankar, which is now called the Religion of Light and Sound, teaches that each individual is Soul inhabiting a human body. 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. A line will leap out and inspire you. In 1950 the Twitchells moved to the church compounds, but five years later Twitchell was asked to leave the church for personal misconduct. That same year he and his wife separated. Since I dont want to play the awkward game of trying to figure out who one another is in public, I haggle. This is where Ive got to be careful. The Cadillac of Cults. The guys like an idiot, right? Hes touring the Southwest, as we speak. Lane, like his counterpart Houdini, seems shackled. But he was describing my experiences. Anyway, there was an intensification of that, and I knew undoubtedly something was going on. When I called to sign up, they told me that I never had to go to a class if I didnt want to. 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. If he cant take your soul back to God, he improves your bowling game, money-back guarantee. We both laugh so loudly at Lanes joke, the couple at the next table, who have been covertly eyeing the tape recorder, stare at us openly. In 1978 Richards moved from North Carolina to San Diego to pursue his graduate training in psychology. Hes big, coughing, not in the best of health, and he doesnt have any money. In her Golden-Tongued Wisdom, Rosanne continues to sing, A cold hard rain comes pouring down. We actually challenge our inner experiences in the name of God, to make sure that theyre not phony, not of the negative world of Kal. and is being financed by them to do his dirty research. Once when I was driving down to Baja on one of my frequent surf trips, he continues, I noticed to my amazement a highway sign that said Rebasar. I dont know exactly what it means No Passing, or something like that. Several hundred members of Eckankar live in the San Diego area, but not all of them participate in local events. One of the reasons he may have relinquished his spiritual role to Harold is that it didnt jibe with him. It lacks the wit, passion, and narrative drive of his other books. In 1983 Lane and Brian Walsh issued a glossier version of The Making of a Spiritual Movement through their own Del Mar Press. Im a mystical agnostic materialist. Its difficult not to resent Lane, that temptress, that town gossip, that snake in Eden. I used to be in Eckankar, I tell him. When youre traveling, you want to have fun; you want to see pretty things. Theyre very much like physical exercises, but theyre for Soul, to strengthen Souls connection with spirit. Lane has tears in his eyes. The next day Channel 8 news came out and did as their lead story Cult Researcher Robbed. They took a copy of my article The J.R. Controversy. But they didnt name John-Roger.. Bettina Yelman received her dreamstate while at an Eck seminar in Hawaii. Remember, when Twitchell founded Eckankar in 1965, he was living in San Diego, at Point Loma. They knew what I had done with Eckankar, and they thought, Well, he can do this with J.R. So there was a secret meeting in a Santa Monica condominium with these defectors. My research has helped because its made me more discriminating, more critical-minded. He probably thought my recipe file was written in code and had secret information, or something like that. "Actually, Eckankar is the one who has kept me going because they keep [after] me every time I try to come out with something. Eckankar teaches that the soul is eternal, it exists because God loves it, and it is journeying to self-realization and God realization. I would ask a question and get an answer, and I would jot it down. Before founding Eckankar, Twitchell was involved in yoga, self-realization groups, and Scientology. Peoples experiences dont matter to David Lane. 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. Cautiously I bring up David Lane. The transaction was conducted ethically but the Left's attacks on Justice Thomas have nothing to do with ethics. I wrote to Jerry, way to go, Jerry! In Understanding Cults, Lane published The Criminal Activities of John-Roger Hinkins, a laborious account of Hinkinss alleged break-in and smear campaign. When a group of Eckists and I went to see the Bloomington, Indiana, premiere of Star Wars, we were thrilled by the light sabers of the Jedi knights.