There's Always More

Sometimes a little more of the ashram story surfaces inside of other stories. Like what happened yesterday: Experiments in Memoir -- the post for October 23

THE GURU LOOKED GOOD, now an E-Book

Now you can get the whole book for $4.99 and read it on any Kindle-friendly gizmo. Buy the Digital Book

COMING TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SOON!

I will be in the Bay Area in mid-July just for a few days. I would love to meet up with anyone who is interested in talking about writing memoir, cult experiences, Authentic Writing, The Guru Looked Good, or anything peripherally related! Please be in touch if you are interested and we’ll go from there.

I LOST YOUR EMAIL

During the last week, someone wrote me an email that I really wanted to respond to. I think the initials of the writer were LW. It seems that I have mistakenly deleted the email -- horrors. I am hoping you will see this note and write again. I appreciated your thoughts and questions and would like to write back. Thanks! Marta

FASCINATING

For anyone who was deeply involved with Siddha Yoga, or any such group, I highly recommend this well written article, published in February of this year, from The New Yorker. The subject is Scientology. Yet so much is recognizable.
The article

ENLIGHTENMENT? NO SUCH THING

I no longer believe in this thing called “enlightenment” or “liberated beings.” Perhaps there are people who break through something mysterious and become different from the rest of us. Why would such a person mention it to anyone? Why would they be interested in drawing attention to themselves? If someone were to become enlightened, I believe they would become the most invisible person imaginable, smart enough to be indistinguishable from the rest of us. Like water.

Because when someone claims a special status on the enlightenment scale, it sets up a hierarchy completely in opposition to their claim. It immediately establishes that you are lacking and they are not. For this reason, a person who is enlightened (if such a state exists) wouldn’t tell you. They would simply continue their life – and allow you to continue yours.

Excerpt from my review of American Guru by William Yenner, published in the Cultic Studies Review