hello & welcome to the first entry in the asking akashic series. we’re excited to present this information to you, as the current weather calls for an associated report. to help with the effects and concerns raised with this piece, there’s a bonus light language digital art file included with this download. this art is activated to help one reclaim their energy across all time, space, dimensions, continuums, planes, karmic cycles, and cult dynamics, & align them with their most authentic self. this is exclusive for ko-fi with instructions to activate available at checkout.
before we fully dive in, there are a few things that we’d like to clarify. all of this information is provided as channeled by mars via the akashic records. through a series of questions and prompts, the information was received and then translated into this entry. while mars works to remove bias from this content, it’s still important to point out that personal experiences and observations are included as anecdotal evidence. this does not name any names, but explains behaviors exhibited over an extended period of time. primary sources are assessed as well as cross referencing with the akashic records for collective or public displays for examples.
instead of providing references at the end, a useful resource to examine in place of or in addition to this piece is daretodoubt.org. this was located to provide an external resource for people who want to research more or could use the help with their own recovery, as this piece is more anecdotal and empirical. the website has a wealth of information, including further reading on cults & how to recognize whether you’re engaging with one.
a general content/trigger warning is provided for the post as there are mentions of abuse or material that may be sensitive topics for some. it’s also possible that people reading will start to be more aware of the explained dynamics in their life, which is recommended to discuss with someone like a professional therapist. please take your time reading and be in a safe space where you’re comfortable.
disclaimer: none of the information is intended to replace professional medical or legal advice. this was written for educational and entertainment purposes only and may not be replicated or duplicated without explicit written permission from mars, which can be obtained by emailing him directly.
*this information can also be found as a downloadable .pdf on ko-fi. if you’d like to support mars by tipping him for channeling & writing this article, please do so on ko-fi.com/marsonlife.
asking akashic presents the cult leader, the wannabe, and the follower: a trifecta of energetic enmeshment
it’s time we talk. there are energy dynamics collectively present that can be prevented. there is false information spread about the akashic records and spiritual law in general. before getting into that, we need to address how it happens. why is this information allowed to be spread, and called such, and used with names that don’t align with its message? we’ll try to answer with this profile provided by the akashic records.
our goal with this information is first and foremost awareness. a lot of what’s described in this article is done without conscious awareness. this means the subconscious is operating to an extent in the actions made or thoughts followed through, but that doesn’t mean the lack of awareness absolves anyone of guilt. it’s important to be honest with yourself if you see you or someone you know in what’s described here. we’ll try to be as thorough as possible with the information presented so it’s unmistakable. do not turn the other cheek because the truth is uncomfortable to sit with.
the next goal of this article is to spark change. with awareness, we, collectively, can start to do better. this may start another layer of shadow work for some who read this and reflect on it seriously. again, please be safe while going over the information and reach out for professional help if you need it. have conversations with your friends or colleagues. develop a code of ethics if you’re a practitioner of spirit or energy. decide to trust your instincts because the messaging system already in place exists for a reason.
the purpose of this profile is to educate and hopefully prevent. some people will use this as part of their recovery, as mentioned previously. cult indoctrination is a serious thing. cults exist, whether or not they’re referred to as such. sometimes, it’s more dangerous for those involved to not have the awareness of the dynamics at hand as violated boundaries cease to exist over time and with pressure. people pleasing, shared delusions, thinking you could genuinely be doing “good” with all your actions, or you’re exempt from doing things because a higher power likes you, are all involved in the cult dynamics to be discussed here.
we hope that with recognition, something will be done about it. the same people mentioned abuse the name of the akashic records to serve their subconscious mission. we do not promote abuse in any sense, nor will we say it was invited into one’s life. forgoing emotions and one’s humanity is not part of accessing the akashic records, nor will we tell you to ignore or bypass these things when it’s healthy to feel.
the akashic records have been weaponized for cult dynamics. we neither appreciate nor tolerate this. specific examples of this include, but are not limited to, the following:
- saying you need to be of a certain vibration or frequency to enter your akashic records
- believing the akashic records are an external entity rather than an internally found structure projected from the individual’s energetic body
- that you must change your diet, medication, or otherwise ignore your health and suddenly alter your lifestyle to accommodate visiting with the akashic records
- telling you you’re one of the favorites for the akashic records to watch, observe, and exist alongside. we love you all and show no preferences, only deliver more responsibilities as further embodiment occurs.
- promoting the belief that a certain level of purity must be maintained throughout one’s life to make them worthy of being in the akashic records
- accessing one’s akashic records on film or in live teachings without clarifying this occurs to their audience (makes the audience participants and muddles freewill & information received).
- teaching that you’ll lose access to your akashic records if you don’t listen to us verbatim, the first time. although we are not human, we learn from you, and rely on you to teach us, too.
- requiring you to connect with certain spirits or deities to access the akashic records. we do not contain access to all angels as not all are considerate of akashic energy or freewill. we do not contain all of one’s ancestors as they are not all in alignment with the individual. we will not tell you to connect to anything outside of yourself in order to reach us.
- the akashic records will not tell you to abuse others. we will not tell you to exercise power over another in a way that will harm them. we do not co-sign the use of our name to promote abusive structures such as conversion therapy or exploitation of one’s identity and being. we will not say anyone deserved the abuse they received. it is always up to the one with more power in the situation to wield it responsibly.
- using the akashic records for escapism in the form of disconnecting yourself from reality: soulmates are more than just a love connection you think you’ll marry; twin flames are never the ex that emotionally abused you; starseed and past life information are easily influenced by malevolent entities distracting you from present embodiment. there are beneficial and harmful factors attached to all of these things mentioned and discernment is needed to access the akashic records fluidly.
- accessor’s confirmation bias. refusal to see challenging points to one’s beliefs or actions and only go with information that is “channeled” to keep the audience hooked. information & actions change to fit or benefit one’s narrative rather than align with truth.
- seeing the akashic records as upper management or bosses and owners rather than collaborative colleagues with your oversight.
- abusing one’s ignorance of healing arts and violating the trust earned by misrepresenting the akashic records.
- thinking the akashic records will cover your every fault, flaw, and oversight when there’s a difference between being careless versus earnestly learning.
- denying relationships with environmental or ancestral energies for your practice and dedication to the akashic records.
- being unable to live without consciously accessing the akashic records. opening and closing your records often and frequently is one of the fastest ways to familiarize yourself with different akashic energies while learning to discern between the different states of trance and embodiment.
now that some of the air is cleared, please enjoy the complete first entry of the asking akashic series.
definitions
cults are and can be a lot of things. predatory. dangerous. manipulating.
cults are and can appear to be a lot of things. welcoming. warm. a breath of fresh air.
when engaging with the cult, you are safe, protected, looked over by god specifically.
when distancing from the cult, you are wrong, fake, possessed by demons or evil spirits.
in order to set the record straight, we need to be on the same page regarding definitions. each word may have multiple definitions, all of which are applicable in this instance.
for the purposes of this article, the following definitions are provided:
cult: a group of people who share similar beliefs or practices, generally spiritual in nature for this discussion. this group may or may not be centered around the leader and have a hierarchy. an easier name to use when referencing “new religious movements.”
cult leader: also known as a guru, teacher, spiritual leader, or prominent head in religious practices. this person can be charismatic and warmly regarded among others while remaining distant from everyone but their inner circle. witnesses humanity in glimpses as they’re incapable of true embodiment with their teachings or beliefs.
wannabe: a step below the cult leader and generally within their inner circle, as individuals usually make up the smaller subgroup of the hierarchy. they do not challenge the cult leader but compete for time/attention/validation from the leader & enforce the leader’s ideals among the whole group.
follower: the lowest part of the cult hierarchy, full of potential. people in the largest subgroup can be casually engaged or more devout & assume a missionary role. for some reason, cannot break barrier of the wannabes.
cult personality: curated & presented to the public to warrant attention and admiration from others.
culture: a combination of social behaviors and/or beliefs that are found in subsets throughout human society.
instinct: behavior one shows when responding to certain stimuli. these were never learned and tend to be impulsive or can’t be explained further than responding to one’s environment. action/reaction.
intuition: understanding without conscious reasoning, bred from instinct. your personalized messaging system based on your individual experiences in collective settings across time and space.
abuse: refers to the misuse of something as well as the harm inflicted onto others.
energetic enmeshment: a dynamic between two or more people or groups which disregards boundaries and leaves some susceptible to influence. once entangled, it’s harder to draw and maintain a separation between the involved parties.
historical use of cults
now that the definitions are out of the way, we hope this section brings more clarity than confusion. culturally speaking, cults weren’t always a bad thing. we’re not even presenting this information as “this is bad so you must change everything based on us saying this one thing is bad,” no. while people are now more aware of the harm caused with contemporary spiritually-based cults, there’s value in learning about the history of its usage and possible evolution.
throughout the history of cults, one dynamic is blatantly obvious: the deference and divergence of power. people in cults gathered based on their similar interest in a thing and lend energy to that specific thing, giving it power and creating a subculture. in present day, we find this dynamic with cult classics. it’s shown with gods and deities who’ve had followings for thousands of years. this kind of energy is also found within “influencer” culture, where individuals seek idolatry in their own image to support capitalistic gains. these dynamics all involve people who consume the subject at the center to relinquish their own freewill and power to some degree.
we hope that those reading understand the difference between something like rocky horror picture show having a dedicated fanbase with performances for fun and someone who claims their word is divine law as ascribed to them by capital-g god themself. some involved with the latter will follow the belief that they, too, are gods themselves. which, again, is different from believing that all humans are gods at different points in their evolution, including de-evolution. people want to be a prophet for-profit, heaven-sent for hire, recognized within reckoning raptures. there is being in tune with source energy and spirit, then there is delusion.
historically speaking, there are cults for deities and spirits. these cults would practice rituals for who they worshipped and have priests and priestesses trusted to carry on the word or beliefs. a hierarchy was in place to enforce a specific code, which was based off these beliefs and actions. these cults were then either developed into organized religion with polytheistic deities or a monotheistic, all-knowing, all-seeing god; or remained operating as secret societies. cults then didn’t hold the same weight as they do now, as not all were focused on murderous or destructive motives. before, they were a way to share common interests or maintain specifics in the truth of cultural history. now, it seems like all who don’t directly benefit from this dynamic suffer for it.
to include a fictional example of a cult film based on elements of different real cults before looking at other lived events in the rest of the article, we’ll discuss the 2019 piece written and directed by ari aster, midsommar. to those who are unfamiliar, the movie follows a group of young american adults on holiday in a foreign country, after one of the members receives traumatizing & life-changing news. through this journey, they are led by someone who was trusted as a guide, who could translate the language and provide context for the group’s cultural ignorance. as the film develops, strange behavior along with jarring events (to the americans) show the unpredictable nature of the cult they’re visiting. these situations either caused shock or confusion and served as further motivation for later events by some of the young americans. by the end of the movie, one of the americans is honored in the ritualistic sacrifice of another american. the person honored can be seen as an accepted member of this foreign cult they visited, now that they’ve participated in their events and acted the initial group she was presented in. while some viewers understand this as some sort of feminist reclamation or speaking to the primal attraction toward destruction. others are able to recognize that this is a showcase of how someone who is in a vulnerable position, without supportive people around her (& arguably even losing someone who could have prevented this with their guidance), is more likely to be exposed to these dynamics and recruited into them. the use of human sacrifice can be argued as willing and then unwilling, which can lead us into the next example.
jonestown was a tragedy that occurred in 1977 where many people were coerced into committing suicide. because this was coercion, it is murder. jonestown is why we have the saying, “don’t drink the kool-aid”: it refers to mindlessly following something along without critical thought or question to it. what choice do you make between poisoning yourself at gunpoint or being shot and killed in front of your family, knowing they’ll die too, with your refusal? martyrdom as an honorable act is a common theme in cults because one can talk their victims into getting rid of the evidence, as well as the responsibility, themselves. when survival doesn’t seem possible, and virtually isn’t, why would a victim choose suffering? families were scared until they died, which brings us to another belief of cults: fear is a weapon of power.
conscious vs unconscious indoctrination
both examples mentioned above are closer to practices of new religious movements. some debate exists surrounding new religious or spiritual movements and cults. for the most part, they are one and the same. because we’re talking specifically about spiritual cults, it can be hard to distinguish the difference. the new movements don’t seem to be based on a religious doctrine, but tend to incorporate elements or language similar to christianity and its abrahamic tree or from other existing regionally-specific religions. these factors enforce the belief of a punishing god or overarching source of power, to instill fear in others as a tactic of control.
indoctrination occurs when a set of beliefs or concepts are taught without question. doubting the belief is identified as a lack of faith. challenging a concept is met with incredulous defense. you have to accept what you’re told, the first time, and do it right, the first time, or else. maybe it won’t be presented harshly at first, but this is where the boiling frog analogy comes in. boundaries are tested and pushed until you no longer recognize direction in or around yourself. it’s unfortunate how fast some lose their sense of self when met with the confrontation of another’s power. what’s chalked up to divine intervention when it involves human’s freewill?
indoctrination can be both conscious and unconscious. conscious indoctrination would be calculated recruitment with awareness, while unconscious indoctrination is more ignorant of its consequences. conscious indoctrination would be someone like charles manson, who enticed others to kill for him, and currently has devoted followers who are still alive and commemorate him in some shape or form. unconscious indoctrination can come from people who believe they’re doing good, or they’re “right” with their actions. this can be something like a commune, where the aim is to be self-sufficient as a community, but has limiting rules that punish its residents through shame or isolation.
another example of conscious indoctrination is through missionaries. regardless of religion or spiritual belief, this is a widespread act of recruitment. this recruitment tends to mirror narcissistic abuse, which includes the dynamic of lovebombing and people pleasing to earn trust. to some degree, the people involved understand that showing kindness, whether a genuine act of good faith or not, is leverage to trust. if basic needs are met, if people feel secure or safe, it’s even easier to take advantage of their trust.
unconscious indoctrination can be found with innocently sharing your own belief system without attempts to convert anyone. this can happen when others try to replicate what you do, or see what you’re capable of and aspire to that. whether it’s characteristics of being disciplined with your spiritual practice, to unwavering in your beliefs when you’re challenged, to gently nudging friends to do what you do, because it worked for you, otherwise they might have problems that could’ve otherwise been avoided. this morphs into a cult dynamic without the awareness it formed, but it still contains danger, as it’s now including the psychological phenomenon of groupthink. groupthink occurs when members of a group refuse to challenge the belief systems presented in the group. there’s no individual accountability in the group, unless a leader is able to break through the illusion of acceptance and change the narrative. then, blame is usually deflected by the ones who should be taking responsibility over the situation. they’ll say that god wanted the person to be punished, the group should then turn on someone who compromises the preservation of the group. the group further distances themselves from others who don’t share the belief and become an echo chamber. this is another way narcissistic dynamics are mirrored within cult behavior.
most effective are the beliefs so deeply engrained that the ones holding onto them for dear life suffer from their inflexibility. one example that’s present at the time of this channeling is the ever-evolving toxic pile of waste that is q anon. there’s a lot of overlap between q followers and believers of new age ideology. what started out as a joke on some edgelord forum quickly consumed conspiracy theories as their own. most theories, like chemtrails and 5G microchips, weren’t directly born from q anon, but are now closely linked to this so-called movement. the conspiracy also involves topics that showcase one’s appeal to humanity and emotions: fighting against pedophilia. pizzagate, originally a factor trying to influence the 2016 election, regained belief with momentum of the 2020 election. although there’s no pedophilia ring in the basement of a pizzeria led by democrats, people who genuinely believe that this is real take fact and truth & deny it completely. the same people will refuse to look at the predatory behavior of the leaders they follow. they go off one or two cases of prominent public figures involved, and shift the blame away from hollywood, where this is kind of abuse is systemic, and predators in one’s family or immediate community, where the abuse is often overlooked and ignored. the attention is focused on the people they don’t like, the ones who are trying to break the delusion of q anon and the conspiracies associated with it. all people need is one tiny piece of information to resonate, then they’re hooked.
dangers of this dynamic
no one is above being fooled by a cult dynamic or falling into this mentality. little, if any good comes as a result of cults and the people involved with them. any benefits that do come from this dynamic being enacted and engaged with are rarely long-term, as most behavior is to reinforce the narcissism of the cult leader. with unconscious indoctrination, these characteristics are still at play, as assimilation to the group experiencing groupthink is important for the survival of said group.
trust was mentioned previously to show how important it is to foster within a cult dynamic. in earning this trust, tricks are typically employed. it’s fairly easy to convince an unsuspecting group that you have divine powers if you can tell they’re receptive to your charm. it’s easy to claim you’re god’s favorite if you know you’re dealing with a group of skeptics, then prove you are by utilizing simple psychic “skills” anyone can learn with a quick internet search.
there are two modalities of practice worth mentioning which can easily fall into the harm of a cult dynamic, mostly due to ignorance. part of the issue is ideas that are perpetuated that aren’t rooted in truth or remain true to the practice itself. these practices are the akashic records and usui reiki. the akashic records have been adapted by some to fuel their cult beliefs that follow a hierarchy and need to be pure enough to access them. usui reiki was channeled in the 1920s, although the use of universal life force energy has been wielded in other ways before then. both practices can be abused to serve someone else’s purpose who is not in alignment with either of them. because the integrity of these practices matter, those who believe they have access may fail to realize they don’t. both practices can involve the use of the kundalini, which is falsely said to rise through sex with another being to help promote sex cults rather than being consenting and engaged in the act with one’s partner(s). people also believe they can bypass setting protections with these practices, which only puts everyone involved in harm’s way.
we already discussed different ways the akashic records have been misused or misunderstood by others. the biggest issue we have with current teachings is that it’s an external entity that you invite into your energetic space. when you’re told you need to follow a certain set of rules in a specific way, otherwise you won’t be granted access. that you need to be of a certain vibration to access the akashic records. or that because you’re a favorite of the akashic records, you’ll have access to a wider range of information than you would if you weren’t. the thymus energetic point, and physical gland of the body, are both utilized while accessing one’s akashic records. this is why you’re told that you’re safe within your records: you’re accessing your deepest knowing. nobody can take that away from you unless they convince you to hand it over to them.
usui reiki has branched into many different “schools” of reiki. some are actually rooted in the usui system and include cult tactics in their practice of it, while others believe they’re practicing reiki but have points in their aura blasted open or attached to entities. for the reiki masters who are passing attunements in their own classes, some were found requiring their prospective students to fast for 21 days before their first meeting. in one of these classes, a student fainted, and was unable to receive their attunement that day, and still went back to that teacher as it was twisted into their body doing the initial purging of an attunement. other reiki masters gain a following on social media, claiming to be jesus in their past life, or vibrating at a different frequency than most people, which is why they have the special abilities to heal. then there are an unfortunate group of reiki practitioners who are genuinely attuned, but for one reason or another, the have energy leaks in their body that they can’t control. for the people who are affected by this, they need to go through a special process to temporarily “turn off” their attunement so they aren’t unconsciously open to that energy again, like they probably were in the first place. there’s also a popular belief that one can practice with reiki by attuning themself and opening up certain “chakras” within their body, when this process does not give them the same energetic signatures that come with a proper usui attunement. it’s valid for traditions to be challenged, yes, but not when a practice is whitewashed to make religious people more comfortable with using what they’d call in any other setting evil or demonic energy.
in both practices, people think they’re accessing a certain type of energy when they aren’t. how can you tell when someone does have that ability versus when they don’t? it’s something else that’s hard to pinpoint, but gets easier over time with more exposure. people who use the akashic records as a hierarchy or promote lifestyle changes without considering who they’re talking to are likely to be affected by their own bias. people promoting diet restrictions may be struggling with their own eating disorder; those invalidating certain mental disorders or saying they’re the result of entity attachments, probably aren’t capable of processing the complexities of human development and existence and use fear in attempt to control everything in their lives. reiki that’s genuine to the usui teachings, and therefore the usui lineage through the reiki master, will include information on its history and changes to its practice. this isn’t to invalidate what one’s practice develops into, but when teaching or practicing reiki, it’s commonly understood that it’s the usui tradition unless explicitly stated otherwise. a practitioner of these modalities should also feel comfortable answering any questions or being open about how they use them in their teachings. by perpetuating harmful practices, and not being aware of the danger they pose to begin with, collectively, we’re headed toward chaos that could’ve easily been avoided with appropriate compassion.
cookie-cutter spirituality: an interview on cult indoctrination
to start this next example, it’ll be prefaced with this: what’s described is reflective of multiple communities that all involve the cult dynamic to function. it is not speaking to one specific group of people, because multiple groups of people are perpetuating the structure. the cult dynamic, and more-so the benefits of the cult leader role, are sought after in present day circles, especially the more aligned with new age they are.
throughout the remainder of the article, included are parts of an interview and conversation had with sierra (name changed), a 24-year-old woman of color and reiki master practitioner. in the discussion, the traumatic experience of being exposed to and pushed into cults was covered, along with the severity of being affected by the cult dynamic and energetic enmeshment that occurs within it. sierra is currently seeking counseling and started medication again recently, after her involvement with people affected by this behavior pressured her sudden, unsafe cessation. sierra’s story is not uncommon, especially among young people who follow their natural instinct to listen to their inner voice and turn to spiritual spaces to help find themselves and live a fuller life.
to better understand what happened with sierra, let’s give you some background. sierra spent the entirety of 2019 on herself, after being bullied for most of her childhood. she spent the majority of the year off of social media, was journaling and checking in with herself every day, and working hard to let herself be present in her body. it wasn’t until sierra was learning more about energy work herself, and more specifically around april 2020 where she was friends with a specific practitioner, that she felt more like she had to step up spiritually. sierra says the feeling wasn’t too prevalent then, but might be the beginning of the exposure to cult dynamics and indoctrination.
the pressure was more present in august to october 2020, but sierra understood there was always that underlying dynamic of not being or doing enough in a spiritual sense. she claims she felt it was stronger going into the fall of 2020 because she was overcoming the spiritual attacks and bullying she experienced that summer. sierra thinks these people were preying on weakness so strongly, that she felt the need to forget herself for all the things she went through — she was in a position where people took the attacker’s side because they said sierra was doing the things they were doing themselves, in order to attack her. because it was so incessant, sierra felt like she did something wrong, that she was the bad guy, and she had to deal with that in a vulnerable state of wanting to heal, wanting to get rid of this energy, while being preyed upon by that same energy.
sierra was asked about cult indoctrination and her experiences with attempts at this. to show she understood the question, she gave an example of foreigners who would be targeted by cults in the area they were touring because they were vulnerable: they were lost, they didn’t have family or support or another form of protection. for sierra personally, she identified the forcefulness in conversation and taking things as fact when they’re a biased opinion. “saying you attract certain things to yourself,” sierra was told she deserved spiritual attacks and physical bullying because she somehow bypassed healing from her past bullying experiences. sierra was told that this cycle was repeating again because of her failure to heal it. she used to give credence to this belief, until she reflected on it further:
“i never asked to be bullied! i never asked to go through that again! that was such a traumatic experience in my life and for it to occur from second grade to junior year of high school, this is such a big portion of life, especially considering it’s the formative years. these years are so crucial because this is when we’re forming identity. humans are very sociable creatures, we want to feel like we belong and fit in, and the formative years are so crucial to that sort of social identity — of course i didn’t want to dive into it that much, because it was such a big portion of my life and i’m still very close to those ages. the fact i dealt with bullying from 7 until 17, can you really get over that quickly in a few years? and that’s another kind of experience that’s part of the indoctrination: belief in pushing on beliefs.”
sierra had more to say about pushing beliefs, bringing up an example of a self-proclaimed psychic. this person was saying how they weren’t offended for being called out for disregarding a field of study that’s been worked in and legitimized through personal and collective accounts, all while continuing to dismiss why people in that community are rightfully calling for some accountability. this person then used that experience as an opportunity to frame a collective healing session regarding that kind of energy for their supporters. the person received what they were looking for (validation through emotional labor) from the people they were projecting their personal issues onto, all while being congratulated for not being triggered by the experience, when clearly there was enough of a trigger to do an impromptu healing on not only themself, but everyone they could possibly get their hands on with a group healing session. in this person’s delegitimizing of a practice, they mentioned how they were healing the wounds of their birth. if only they had recognized that by having the event that triggered the denouncing, they were healing it by having the knowledge now, and could’ve had a different perspective on their own homecoming, rather than rejecting a practice that’s thousands of years old.
when sierra was asked if she recognized any ways she ignored her voice or beliefs by feeling pressured she didn’t want to do in spiritual spaces, she said “pretty much when healers would say ‘you’re not doing the work’ or ‘you’re not facing your shadows,” but realized she is & was conditioned to think it was harder or she wasn’t really capable of doing it. she pushed herself to book more healings, consistently putting time, energy, and money into the sessions, all while being punished by the practitioners that she sought for help. it got to the dangerous point where she stopped taking medication that she was prescribed for her health.
why did sierra stop taking these medications? “because a practitioner i worked with told me it was preventing me from connecting to my dreams and my spiritual team.” this event was after sierra had disclosed to the so-called “healer” that she had experienced a disconnect from her dreams, where she felt she received most of her messages. she now understands that taking her medication was the right thing for her, and she shouldn’t have stopped, although she saw value with the experience because it showed her the faults of the dynamic she was in. sierra states the practitioner claims they didn’t realize she dealt with these things, which she thinks is “bullshit, because they’ve seen me in points where i wanted to commit suicide.” the healer was in sierra’s life throughout different spiritual attacks and bullying she experienced in 2020. “i was always very vocal that i was already dealing with my depression, i was already dealing with my anxiety, and all of that really heightened it. i don’t understand how they could say they didn’t know i was dealing with it, when they had seen me in moments where those issues were happening in present time.”
overall, this left sierra discouraged with her spiritual journey. she felt like she was incapable of talking to her team, incapable of connecting with her akashic records, and she still has these doubts as she feels incapable of her abilities all the time. sierra feels she ignored herself when she knew she was connecting to what was important to her spiritually, yet she was constantly told she was unable to do any of it because it didn’t fit another practitioner’s narrative or idea of sierra’s life. she felt pressured that she had to clear energies of trauma or malevolence out, that she had to participate in all these healings, do all this work, and she was. sierra was being present and embodied and doing the best she could in her daily life. at the time of the interview, sierra doesn’t even want to do the things she used to enjoy, but doesn’t attribute it to her clinical depression. “i’m at a place where i don’t want to do anything. i don’t want to meditate, i don’t want to journal, i don’t want to do any spiritual practices right now, because these people were pressuring me to do them. because, i wasn’t ‘doing the work’.”
although sierra reports that she’s definitely in a better place now, she only started recognizing something was wrong very recently. she began realizing the things she was told by the practitioners she worked with were just not in alignment with her. she doesn’t see how she was doing what they were accusing her of. part of these accusations included blocking someone’s blessings they were attempting to bring into the physical realm. “i started to realize my own truth. what they were telling me didn’t make sense to me at all. i had a *click* moment where that shit made zero sense to me. that’s when i started to realize that i was in this situation of abuse and this cult feeling and this power dynamic. i don’t think it’s totally their fault, i think it’s passed down,” sierra reflects on this further, “think about it, there’s a main cult leader, and then there’s the little minions… i think they were just one of the minions and got a lot of their spiritual information and background from that main person, and they’re spreading it to other people.” sierra did not know the direction or contents of this article at the time of the interview, only that a piece was being written on cult dynamics in spiritual spaces. it’s both amusing and frightening to see the parallels are so consistent throughout different experiences with the same dynamic.
for further evidence of her ability to “do the work,” sierra offered the following: “for me, i had a whole year where i was not doing anything — that’s when i was starting to step into my spirituality. for half the year, january to june, [i was] off social media completely, june to august very shortly, and august to december off of it again. i would take longer breaks and check in occasionally. when i remembered i did a lot of the work already, “and i am very capable of work, and i am very capable of healing, and that i don’t have the foundation that they have. i was like, ‘yeah, no, something’s wrong. something doesn’t make sense and something doesn’t click here.’ that’s when i started to recognize i was actually put into a very powerless situation and i was made to feel like that because i know how to do the work, i’ve been doing the work, i know how to heal myself. i think what made them mad is that it wasn’t in the way they wanted me to heal. what worked for them didn’t work for me. and that’s how it goes! of course what works for you isn’t how it works for everyone else. and it’s so fucked up to say that’s how it works, because it’s not how it works.”
for all she’s been through, sierra doesn’t feel guilty and forgives herself for not knowing better. she’s able to recognize that feeling like she needed to fit into a community led her into compromising situations until she was suddenly able to snap out of it. in re-aligning with herself, away from the people involved in this dynamic, it’s clear to sierra how dividing one from their own self is reinforced in these settings. “every time i was talking to these energy workers or healers, i’d be like ‘you don’t know yourself’ or ‘you don’t know who you are,’” sierra states. “…since i’ve been out of this dynamic and not talking to these people, it’s like i do know who i am, i do realize what’s my fucking truth, it was clouded because [they] were trying to force their ideas onto me, and make it so that what they had to tell me, or what their ideas were, were fact, and what works for them is the only way i can heal or the only way i have do things.” this is speaking to the bias others hold when projecting their experiences onto others. inflexibility as a tactic attempts to take place of boundaries. the clear distinction of yourself from another becomes muddied when someone assumes authority over who and what you are.
when asked what she’d say to others who have been exposed to and engaged with the cult dynamic, sierra had an overwhelming response that showed where she was: fully capable of the work she was told she wasn’t doing for so long.
“it’s hard. forgive yourself for that. they’re gonna wanna try to keep you, they’re gonna wanna try to keep you in that dynamic because it feeds their ego and it feeds their own insecurity, you know? it’s okay if you realize it very late, it’s okay that you trusted these people, it’s okay that you opened yourself and were more vulnerable with these people, don’t be mad at yourself for that. don’t hate yourself for that or say that you should’ve known better. you didn’t. and that’s okay, because it happened, and they wanted you to feel that way, and they were doing things on purpose. the fact that you were open to trusting somebody, the fact that you were able to trust somebody like that, it shows a lot that your intentions were very pure. don’t beat yourself up for it. it shows more about them than it does about you.”
while separating herself from this dynamic and the people involved in it, sierra did feel abandoned. she recognized that immediately and decided to stick with the friends she knows and loves. sierra wants to be around people she knows in real life, that she has built personal connections to in her surrounding environment. these people know her, they have met her, they shared “a lot of stupid shit” together, these people physically know her. “being seen over facetime is never the same as what you surround yourself with in your physical environment!” sierra exclaims, “most of these people, i don’t know them. i’ve never met them.” this mentality helps keep the events and people who hurt sierra distanced from her as she heals from it.
sierra is trying to get back into therapy as this was part of the treatment she stopped due to external pressure. she recently started her medication again, which was prescribed for her diagnosed disorders. while she expressed frustration with her practices during this interview, she ultimately isn’t swayed from doing what she thinks is best for her. sierra understands she can go back to what she was doing in 2019 whenever she wants and is enjoying the freedom she’s now navigating. “i mentioned i felt forced to do those things but i can do it when i want to. not doing it every day doesn’t mean i’m less spiritual. being in my surroundings and getting triggered is a form of healing and a form of spirituality and a form of meditation. the point is to be aware.”
the role of vulnerability
the key factor in this sort of energetic dynamic being created and enforced is vulnerability. as a reminder, we’re mostly looking at this effect through a spiritual lens, which focuses on new religious movements. this is not to dismiss the fact that people seek spirituality in times of need or desperation: being in this state is what makes one vulnerable. whether one needs help with finding stability in their surrounding environment, getting out of an abusive situation, or tolerating and coping with life as it is, when people feel weak, they rely on an external force or internal faith to carry them through. it can be argued that taking the risk on a belief in the first place is vulnerability, as everything is unfamiliar and one doesn’t necessarily have discernment with the subject yet.
some events or situations that leave people at risk for exposure to a cult dynamic include, but are not limited to:
- grieving a loss/death of someone important
- trauma/assault
- abusive childhood
- accidents or survivor’s guilt
- drug use
- mental health problems
- lack of mentorship in spiritual spaces
when sierra was asked what she thought vulnerability had to do with exposure to cult dynamics, she had a lot to say: “vulnerability is the core of the cult dynamic. because they will prey on people who are vulnerable, because humans are sociable creatures, by nature, we want to fit in, we want to feel love, we want to be accepted, and it’s very important for us. humans have always been in packs, hunter-gatherers in tribes, moved together, worked together, that’s a very human thing. that’s what we were doing when humans began existing. so when humans and people who don’t feel like they have a place to belong and feel very outcasted, when somebody makes them feel like they belong, that’s everything. i think that’s why churches are very cult-like, because people who are vulnerable and go to church and seek salvation or whatever, but it’s cult-like because it’s preying on vulnerabilities. i think cult dynamic stems from vulnerability: you’re at a very weak point, and you want to belong, that in itself is a vulnerability in a way. they prey on it, they’re predatory with it, i think it has everything to do with the cult dynamic.”
sierra understands that vulnerabilities from the people who are trying to maintain a façade in the cult dynamic are projected in their work, too, while attempting to appeal to others: “i think that’s why people who do love readings are so successful in this community, and their only focus is love. [another practitioner, a reader, at the height of inflicting spiritual attacks on others] was pumping out love messages every hour, every day, until her account grew to where it is now. these people are very vulnerable because they depend on these messages to feel secure — her messages would be something like ‘oh your person’s coming back’ because she was going through some shit where her man left her and she’d be like ‘oh if your initials are [x and y], they really care and love for you’ and i’m like ‘[x], that’s literally your fuckin’ initial and your man’s initial is [y]. he left you. so what the fuck is this?’ but people will eat that shit up, because they’re vulnerable! and these messages give them security. and they’ll follow and depend on this reader for feelings of confirmation. it has everything to do with vulnerability.”
profiles
to help us better understand how the cult dynamic can show itself, we’ve compiled profiles for each part of the hierarchy. specific profiles are intentionally left without identifying details, but pertain to individuals who took up space in spiritual circles with improper claims. each profile starts with the cult leader as the top of the hierarchy, although to that person, god or whichever spirits or entities they’re serving might be the top. this then trickles down to the wannabe, a group of trusted individuals to the cult leader, or ones they want to keep a closer eye on. the last tier is the follower, which consists of a dynamic group of people who can help make or break the cult.
the cult leader
brilliant, beautiful, devoted, and destructive.
they seem to know what they’re talking about. at least, they won’t let on if they don’t know what they’re talking about. these people seem like characters with their apparent complexities and devoted followings placing them on pedestals. at some points, these people do not seem like people. how could they inflict so much pain, deflect all of it onto the victims for being a follower, and continue being fine? how much are narcissistic traits playing a role in the dynamic instead of the people behind the dynamics being narcissists?
cult leader a believes they are a kemetic deity. a mother deity, conveniently, which aligns with cult leader a’s personal beliefs for themselves and traumas experienced in this lifetime. cult leader a suffers from a martyr complex that they think they’ve since healed from. cult leader a is damaged from the narcissistic abuse that they attribute to their cultural background and perpetuates this abuse for others. cult leader a consistently proclaims they are god’s favorite and chosen by god to do a specific job for the world. much of cult leader a’s belief system and teachings reflect that of christian missionaries. cult leader a also follows some new age ideology such as the law of attraction. cult leader a uses the law of attraction to say the earth manifested its own suffering, that earth chose to destruct itself, and humans invite the abuse they endure. cult leader a has an answer for everything until they don’t, then it’s the fault of the person asking them for not doing the work on their own. cult leader a preaches purity as salvation from evil and conveniently has a college degree and professional experience in public relations.
in classes where cult leader a charges hundreds of dollars for corrupted information, the delivery is inconsistent. previous students, and failed followers, of cult leader a speak on the harm that was caused in these settings. the learning material taught by cult leader a is then changed to fit the narrative that cult leader a is doing everyone a favor by teaching the most lucrative, inaccessible material on the topic. cult leader a teaches other people to channel entities while saying they are completely safe from the entities in which they channel. cult leader a has yet to reach their first saturn return, has no mentor in their studies, nor any ethical or moral code provided with their work.
cult leader a won’t admit it publicly, but their actions and conversations show they believe in conversion therapy. cult leader a has planned to rape queer people, as they believe the person they spent years obsessing over only needed to heal their trauma with the gender cult leader a is for their sexuality to magically change, too. cult leader a dangerously believes that they are a savior for this queer person they can’t let go of. the severity of cult leader a’s obsession has helped create the delusion that this relationship is possible, and that queerness is fixable. there have been multiple plans of attempted rape by cult leader a and they cannot recognize that their advances are consistently rejected.
cult leader a denies the coronavirus pandemic. “this will only exist as long as the people believe in it” may not have been said by cult leader a verbatim, but their statements reflect this belief. other valid things that severely affect people on a large scale that cult leader a denies the existence of for their own beliefs include, but are not limited to:
- mental disorders or disabilities such as adhd, depression, or autism, when they previously identified with traits of adhd.
- remote access for the akashic records, when they admitted they didn’t want to do the “extra work” involved.
- socioeconomic status and barriers to accomplishing goals, to cult leader a, if you’re not doing something or working for it, that means you don’t want it.
- proper containment of evil or malevolent or demonic entities, as they believe this energy only needs to be sent to the 6th dimension (cult leader a refuses to accept the fact that dimensions overlap).
- malevolent angels or walk-ins, and attributes so-called “psychic development” to their devotion to god
cult leader b called themself a shaman, named after a specific animal. cult leader b is a white person with no ties to the animal they named themself after nor the culture those practices are from. cult leader b has a cocaine addiction. cult leader b has abused multiple people, who they exploit in their spiritual practices, even going as far as raping some of them. cult leader b appeals to the machismo perpetuated in their surrounding environment and one that inevitably played a role in the formation of their character. cult leader b has since been deplatformed with that identity, once enough information about this abuse came to light, but functions under an alias to continue spreading harm.
cult leader c is much older than the others mentioned and should know better – if they do, they just don’t give a damn. cult leader c has a somewhat unique dynamic where other cult leaders refer their followers to them. cult leader c is seen as a trusted member of a spiritual community, offering mountains of information on topics, which they claim haven’t been widely discussed or categorized prior. the danger with cult leader c lies with the escapism promoted in their work. instead of providing insight that would lead to further embodiment, as is required of the role they say they’re in, clients end up confused and in identity crises. the state the clients are left in leaves them prone to getting more sessions with cult leader c, allowing them to create further delusion and dissonance in their life. clients who doubt the abilities of cult leader c are possessed or avoiding themselves in one way or another, according to their beliefs. cult leader c encourages spiritual journeys to happen physically, comparing them to religious concepts not everyone believes in, without considering whether this is safe or good for the client.
cult leader d is closer to 30 than they are 20 and has been taught some of their skills by people they see as competition. cult leader d encourages an unhealthy dynamic between them and their followers. cult leader d acts as a practitioner of the healing arts and conducts group sessions at an alarming rate that would cause enough concern for any other practitioner to question its effects. cult leader d repeatedly made it obvious that they rely on being wanted or validated by others to feel good about themself. when cult leader d perceives an attack on their character or appearance of who they are to the public, they retaliate immediately or believe they’re the bigger person if they dismiss them, although they may not have been real threats to begin with. cult leader d has a college degree and professional experience in marketing. cult leader d reveals information about themself that promotes a specific image of their own healing journey and that their results are replicable. when cult leader d is put on a pedestal by their following, they do not do anything to further humanize themself. cult leader d shows signs of aggression when their beliefs are challenged and had openly admitted to using entities to harm others as a protective measure for themself. cult leader d promotes the use of entities to one’s advantage, not teaching how to discern the energy of entities or how to remove oneself from that energy completely. the lack of acknowledgement of malevolence from cult leader d allows for that energy to be in any space that they are. cult leader d will read this and act like their whole day isn’t ruined by it, but takes their anger out on the ones around them because retaliating to a piece that has anonymous people mentioned would make them look bad, and that’s the last thing they need right now.
the wannabe
the wannabe is the next rung on the ladder, climbed only once one proves themself as a follower. they follow the precedent set by the cult leader, probably better than the leader itself. wannabes try harder to live up to the standard the cult leader appears to meet than they do themself. rarely does the wannabe become a leader, as they constantly seek the direction or validation of the cult leader. the wannabe will be the cult leader’s first defender & human shield. the wannabe is enlisted by the cult leader to provide the illusion of close relationships or mimic the supposed following of the apostles. the wannabe is a trusted devotee of the cult leader kept at an arm’s length. among the wannabes within a cult, they’re all vying for the cult leader’s attention or affection. the wannabes are just as narcissistic as the cult leaders, but aren’t in the position of power that their leader is. while wannabes feel elite and chosen, they are heavily afflicted by jealousy, envy, competition, and greed.
wannabe 1 ended up a follower of a previously mentioned cult leader. through individual sessions and classes wannabe 1 purchased from the cult leader, they worked their way up to the close circle. wannabe 1 had experienced their own narcissistic dynamic they couldn’t quite escape with one of their parents. this was now mirrored with the cult leader, although wannabe 1 has their own narcissism to deal with. wannabe 1 won’t go to therapy, however, because they believe they can heal anything they need to. wannabe 1 also believes they’re above setting protective boundaries within their life and blames their parent or shrugs off their ignorance when confronted with concerns of safety. wannabe 1 participates in what can loosely be called drug rituals with the cult leader and other wannabes, which are actually perfect opportunities for further enmeshment between anyone involved to occur. for those who can’t tell where this is going, we’re talking about a shared delusion. wannabe 1 also believes they are a kemetic deity, reunited with not only the cult leader, but additional people who are “revealed” to be other kemetic deities. for those unfamiliar, these deities (and pantheistic gods in general) are easily impersonated. as a rule of a thumb, deity work is discouraged in practice unless someone is extremely knowledgeable and the risks are understood. to spread the idea that multiple people are these deities, have been these deities in past lives, and to some extent were or currently are worshipped as such, is problematic to say the least. to be direct with it: past lives and focusing on an afterlife are ways to avoid being embodied.
although it’s uncertain whether this behavior was learned from the cult leader or their upbringing, wannabe 1 is clearly conditioned to change the narrative to fit their interests. wannabe 1 doesn’t think they’re only one kemetic deity, no, they were fortunate enough to be three deities. even more, if you go outside of kemeticism. wannabe 1 suffered from delusions of grandeur and hallucinations. any perspective that challenged the one offered by the cult leader was promptly dismissed, only for them to come to that conclusion “on their own” as months passed from the initial events. concerns from the family of wannabe 1 about their wellbeing are met with aggression or ignored completely. clients of wannabe 1 have requested refunds on their work and sought out additional work from other practitioners to correct this. students of wannabe 1 have needed surgery to correct what they claimed could be healed with their sessions. wannabe 1 has a history of backpedaling and gaslighting, just like the cult leader they model after does. the easiest excuse for one to give for something not working is that the client wasn’t open or ready for it. something the client did was wrong. the client turned down this healing opportunity and opted for abuse. the blame is never one’s own when the practitioner knows every trick in the book to deflect it.
wannabe 2 tells rape victims they attracted it. a follower of various cult leaders, wannabe 2 admires authority to a dangerous degree. born in an environment that’s highly militarized and affected by imperialistic governments, choosing freedom is not a possibility for wannabe 2: the only direction is up. as in, ascension. did you know accepting the abuse one suffered as an invitation or a karmic lesson automatically heals that person and absolves the abuser of any accountability? apparently wannabe 2 considers call out culture catty and meaningless, a cesspool of gossip when we can all look at our flaws. except wannabe 2 uses what others admit in these situations as information to include in their arsenal, waiting to be weaponized against humans in general. wannabe 2 won’t admit it publicly, but they are devoid of love after a heartbreak. wannabe 2 now spends their time focused on twin flame healings and teachings. reminder, wannabe 2 is a rape apologist who said a child deserved the sexual abuse inflicted upon them by adults. wannabe 2 knows how to mask as another’s energy to avoid being seen when stirring something up or spiritually attacking someone they’re personally threatened by.
wannabe 3 thinks they are a reiki master but cannot pass successful attunements. wannabe 3 believes they were chosen to lead a movement of other practitioners of the healing arts. this movement would expose things like trafficking within certain communities or where to focus attention to manifest resulting actions. this movement was password protected on a website and shared with other leaders, wannabes, and followers who wannabe 3 trusted with the information, as they believed it was enough of a conspiracy to warrant attention from the government or external entities. another conspiracy wannabe 3 bought into was that the coronavirus vaccines were being developed with fetal cells. wannabe 3 is another believer of past lives, knowing themself to be philosophers, royalty, mages, and other people in authoritative roles throughout history. wannabe 3 also believes these past lives aid in their shamanic practices, to which they have a deep cultural tie. wannabe 3 would be better sticking to the roots that they’re used to, instead of demon slaying like they claim to do and teach with their practice. wannabe 3 doesn’t see an issue with anything they say, do, or believe, even though they’re exposing way more than just themself with everything they’re doing. wannabe 3 also suffers from clinical depression, although it isn’t held against them because that’s outside of their control. wannabe 3 is the example which is most immersed in the conspiracy theories that cults operate on.
the follower
followers are the most receptive to the bullshit of energetic enmeshment. they’ll listen to everything from the cult leader and the wannabes to forget the discomfort of finding their own voice. followers are more likely to fall into people pleasing dynamics, which sacrifices their own boundaries to avoid conflict from whoever’s on the other end. followers start to isolate themselves from others for the company of other cult members, where an echo chamber is created or further enforced within that space. followers are usually the largest source of income for the cult leaders and wannabes, and while recruiting is an important aspect of the dynamic, there’s never a shortage of supply. followers seek help, then usually leave the dynamic needing more help than they originally sought, as there’s now another layer of trauma to deal with. followers are the biggest threat to the cult dynamic, as their silence keeps the machine going. within the energetic enmeshment of the cult dynamic, the last tier of the hierarchy can be categorized into current followers and failed followers. current followers are still engaged with this dynamic, while failed followers never got far into it or removed themselves after indoctrination.
sierra, who was interviewed earlier, can best be described as a failed follower. while she had some engagement and was affected by these dynamics for a short period of time, sierra ultimately was able to separate herself from all who were involved. she can now recognize the cult dynamic and how it functions well enough to explain it fully as she was interviewed. while engaging with the energy, sierra valued the opinions of others over her own instincts. she kept booking sessions with practitioners because she was constantly told that she wasn’t enough. sierra was in a dynamic that mirrored abuse she experienced as a child and didn’t recognize this until she suddenly snapped out of it. sierra hasn’t returned to engaging with a cult dynamic, which is why she’s considered to be a failed follower, not a current one. she does not have any plans on returning, and instead has revisited what she knows to be right and true for herself and her practices.
other followers are not as fortunate as sierra. even when the information is readily available, people who are right in the middle of this dynamic, some who are reading this, will refuse to see the truth of the situation. other followers understand something may be wrong with their experience, but feel compelled to continue supporting the cult leader. instead of examining the discomfort that arises when they think about it beyond surface level, followers push that feeling away by furthering themselves into the delusion set up with this enmeshment. again, questioning is discouraged or actively punished wherever they are. some won’t realize that they can question it, or that life could be different. a very sad example of this is with the elan school, who has a former student detail his alleged accounts with the reformatory hell that was rife with the cult dynamic in an ongoing webcomic.
failed followers are an interesting thing to examine. people who fall into this category were exposed to a cult dynamic and either don’t buy in to what’s being sold anymore or have been pushed out by other cult members. part of what helps failed followers is the exposure to other beliefs before engaging with a cult. multiple people in this category who were spoken to as preparation and background research for this piece all noted that this was something that helped them escape before they reached a point of no return with a cult. the same people also mentioned how they never stopped questioning things along the way, which is part of what caused confusion for them: they couldn’t find the truth to resonate with because there wasn’t any within that dynamic. boundaries were still strong to them as well, which was often looked down upon by others affected by a cult’s groupthink.
followers may not even realize that they’re in this role. sometimes the force used by cult leaders or wannabes overrides what a follower wants to do. when followers then rely on these people for information on sensitive topics for something as personal as their own lives, they’re already in a position where any answer is better than the one they came up with themselves. followers don’t know how to find guidance, and end up wandering around with lost people along the way.
operating as a community
the cults people end up involved in typically reflect an abusive dynamic they were exposed to in childhood or adolescent years. it’s easy to see how there’s a continual supply for the people involved in these dynamics and unfortunately, part of the reason is because different kinds of abuse are so widespread. it’s easy to believe in secret pedophile rings when half of your family can be convicted and put on a registry. it’s easier to believe it when you know that, plus the constant awareness of emerging survivors coming forward or their abusers being charged, too. on the other hand, it can be easy for people in these dynamics to appeal to very human emotions in attempts to dehumanize them. nobody will love you because you’re this or that, you yourself are incapable of love until you do this thing and that thing.
it was mentioned previously that sierra understood the cult dynamic enough to put it into her own words. when she described this, it spoke to how this feeds into operating as a community.
“it’s definitely a power dynamic — it’s a very ego-based dynamic. these people just want to validate themselves as being connected to higher power, and you not really being able to.” sierra adds that yeah, they’ll validate that you are able to, but still act like something’s wrong with how you do it. “i think of a very specific practitioner, who teaches an akashic records course, and she’s very much like ‘if you don’t follow my steps 1-2-3-4-5, then you can’t connect at all, but for me, i can connect [if i don’t follow these steps].’ that follows the cult dynamic, the power dynamic: they’re able to connect but you don’t have the ability or it’ll take you a while, but they’re perfectly fine.” sierra continues on, pointing out that it’s known others are beneath the leaders, and the ones in control are able to do all these things successfully while others can’t. “that’s how it always felt, that i would be beneath [these practitioners] and that i was never going to get there… when technically, i already am there! and there’s nothing to compare — i have different gifts, we’re all different. but they’ll make you feel like you have to compare [yourself] to them, and they’re always going to make sure that when you do compare, that you’ll feel lesser than, that you know you’ll never reach their standard, that they’re someone you have to look up to. that, to me, is the function — it’s a fucked up power dynamic that definitely feeds their ego and definitely makes them feel they’re in a position of power and that you’re left very vulnerable.”
sierra goes on to mention how people in this dynamic then feel entitled to information about the others involved. “i’m also thinking about when they would pass on random messages — where did you get that shit from? because now they feel like they have access to you, they feel like they’re entitled to your energy, that they can have access to you at any given moment.” she talks about how this tactic is used to build trust, as it catches people in a vulnerable state. “i feel like these people took advantage of me and my want to do better and my need to heal. i know that reflects on me, i shouldn’t feel like i have to heal all the time because that can send a really harmful message to myself, but they were preying on that energy. then they would say things like you’re not doing the work, you’re not facing your shadows, whatever, and making you feel really shitty, incapable, and incompetent.” she then discusses how her plans have changed with her work, and offering energy work in general, “because i still do feel really incapable, from these cult dynamics, it’s hard for me to feel like i can do energy work on other people, because i’m never going to be at their level, right? because that’s what they want you to feel, very powerless, very not in control.”
including sierra’s perspective is important as it gives a firsthand view into everything we’re discussing with the cult dynamic. the entitlement others feel over people who they claim they’re encouraging to be soverign beings can’t be measured. people in this dynamic love to take credit where it’s not owed to them while ignoring the actions or beliefs they should acknowledge or correct. most of what’s mentioned here is also reflected with narcissism and is worth researching on one’s own, even if it’s just for awareness and warning signs.
much of the cult dynamic feels like it functions in whispers or elephants stepping into rooms. information is shared, but not all of it, and not with everybody equally. followers who don’t completely fit the status quo are singled out with criticism or isolation. wannabes act as spies for the cult leaders, reporting back any information that could be used to their advantage. it’s justified with the reason that if everybody knew all the information, someone would use it to cause harm. or maybe then nobody would be special, and everybody should have something to strive for. there is so much to work toward, and not enough to coexist with. the concept of radical acceptance is inappropriately applied within this dynamic: all the traps are fallen into, and all of the shit you needed to hear, you couldn’t tell yourself. the higher ups in the hierarchy rely on the mistrust of oneself, otherwise no one in their right mind would listen to them or engage with anything they offer.
personal & collective reconciliation
what can be done in order to reconcile with people affected by cult dynamics? it depends on a lot of factors. sometimes, it has to be accepted that this won’t change. the rest of the time, we can hope that having the information presented will do something for someone reading this.
the cult leaders can confront themselves and gain some perspective by doing so honestly. more often than not, cult leaders do not see themselves as doing anything wrong. sure, they could be taking advantage of a few people here and there. maybe they’re even claiming to be a blueprint when it comes to some practices, and a lot could be avoided if they just clarified that this was filtered through them, rather than backed with something it isn’t. but in their minds, they’re helping far more people than could ever be (wrongfully) upset with them. or they’re clever enough to make people believe they’re helping them, when it’s all just further enforcement of this dynamic.
the best thing people perpetuating this dynamic could do to help the people they harmed even begin recover is to deplatform themselves. they would stop working with other people, or at least take breaks when they know they’re not capable of holding space for another person or offering appropriate services. they would get a job that doesn’t involve advising or counseling others, nor would there be opportunity for interpersonal relation for manipulation to occur. they would seek professional help and be open to the changes they need to make in order to live a healthy life. unfortunately, this isn’t the norm, and it’s up to the victims of this dynamic to recover on their own and set up boundaries. the most conniving of these leaders will say that this was the whole point: for the client to regain sovereignty and freewill in their life. these leaders will say their work is done, and believe it was done “better than they could have ever planned.” please do not fall for this.
for survivors of cult dynamics, and those who have escaped its indoctrination, it’s unavoidable. more often than not, these experiences are traumatizing to some degree, with the ability to completely derail or even take lives. some people are removed from the cult yet are still considered lost to the cult because they never truly return to the shell of a person that was left behind. some people are pushed to do things they never imagined they would be capable of because of a cult dynamic. others cannot forgive themselves for how they hurt others with their actions and take full blame for everything, even if that wasn’t their intention when they ended up indoctrinated. survivors healing from cult dynamics need resources from people who can validate their experience, as much of this energy involves taking one away from themselves or obstructing the understanding of oneself.
it’s important for survivors to use their voice. whether it’s in talk therapy to make sense of what they were exposed to, or in struggling to speak up about their experience, it matters.
if you have been or currently are in this dynamic, it’s highly recommended to seek professional counseling. someone with a licensed background in psychology is better equipped to help you, as re-exposure to a new cult or the very same dynamic is common because of how deep the enmeshment runs. be gentle with yourself & take care.
with love,
mars & the akashic records
