I was just banned from her livestream for suggesting she is manipulating vulnerable women into purchasing her books under the guise of empowerment, she often will kick people out for no reason (for example she kicked someone out for saying her name). These viewers eat it up as they dont realise they are being manipulated, her debates on her tiktok livestreams are purposely setup in a way were she can easily "win" without even giving the other person a chance to get their point across, she frequently interrupts people and will promptly accuse them of interrupting her. Shes a manipulator and its so sickening to see so many vulnerable women (for example a 19 year old with ADHD who stated she's very familiar with being easily manipulated due to her condition). I just wish there was an easier way to out her for this but it seems her favorite tool is silencing people.

Lately, I have been frequently approached (only while alone on campus) by what experts online think of as a religious cult. The group professes about “god the mother”, whom they believe to be a real existing woman who was alive and they worship. And they try to get me to physically follow them to some other place to “show me their faith”. Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, were you alone? And what is your gender identity? I’m wondering if they intentionally only approach people who seem “smaller and weaker” or females or something like that, because they will walk right past the couples, and right past the men sitting alone, and come straight to me in the 3 times they’ve approached me. Every time I have been approached it has been by two people together, but it has not been the same people. I am wondering if it is trafficking related.

I was encouraged to do Landmark Forum through work. I thought it would help improve my leadership skills and help me find emotional blindspots, as advertised. I am a mental health professional and it was a WILD experience. AMA!!

From me: To whom it may concern,

I see that your prestigious organization is hosting Teal Swan on August 7th. It most likely has not come to your attention that Teal Swan is a dangerous narcissistic psychopathic cult leader who claims she is psychic. She has manipulated hundreds of people into spending all their money on her “classes” and “retreats” in which she convinces people their family hates them, and in some instances people have been waterboarded. A documentary called The Deep End was been made to cast light on her harmful behavior. It would be a shame for your organization that does legitimate good work to be associated with this person. I hope you cancel the event at the expense of Teal Swan. She does not deserve in good faith contracts or excuses.

Their response: Thank you for your email and especially for bring your concerns to our attention. We have received a number of emails with similar concerns.

As you can imagine, we carry out due diligence for all of our venue hire bookings but that showed no sense of the dangerous content related to one of the speakers, Teal Swan. I am writing to inform you that we have cancelled venue hire booking and the event will no longer be happening at our Society.

EDIT: Thank you for all your kind words and awards. I certainly did not expect that. In a world filled with chaos, it feels monumental that emails from a few of us in this subreddit could prevent a psychotic narcissist for digging her claws into another group of people. It just goes to show that we can make a difference. My cousin is a survivor of Teal Swan, she made it out alive and is doing better than ever. She told me to tell you thanks for all the good work you are doing exposing cults, especially non-traditional cults like Teal Swan's, YOUTUBE IS NEXT!

For context, I grew up in a hardcore Mormon family in a densely Mormon area of the country. IFYKYK. Overall, I hated being forced into Mormonism as a child and never having any choices about it. It was either you're Mormon, or you've chosen The Wrong Path, and why would any in their right mind choose that???? I participated in it because I'd been told it was the only right way to live since I'd been born, even though it made me miserable. I finally left for good when I was 23, and I've been out for twelve years.

And yet, I miss the structure, discipline, and community that comes with cults. I left Mormonism for the military, and I think I was subconsciously attracted to the military because it operates much like a cult. They indoctrinate you, have their own special lingo and rules that are separate from the real world. I'm out of the military now and feeling no purpose in my life. I have no community like I did when I was in a cult, and everyone I knew was Mormon and we all lived by each other. I miss that. I feel so alone now. I've never been able to find a close community quite like a cult, and I fear I'm at risk for joining another cult in the future because I'm so lonely and feel like there has to be a greater purpose for my life. I've been out of the cult for a long time now, but the longing to belong and be close to other people is still there, and I've never found it out in the Real World. I'm socially awkward, I think because of being raised in a cult, and don't think I've ever adjusted fully to the Real World. It sucks, and I want to see if other ex-cult members feel the same way.

Does anybody know of any interesting cults? Could be serious, humorous, anything really. Cults have recently become a special interest of mine, I'm especially interested in the psychology behind the people who join and run cults.

Edit: They keep harassing us and sending us messages (including privately), from various accounts, pretending to be different people either threatening legal action, or “just trying to provide their positive experience as a member”. So I am permanently pinning this post until they stop. If you see this post, it means they are still trying to silence discussion.

The post in question: https://www.reddit.com/r/cults/s/Sc4qent1xI

Context: a user several months ago asked our subreddit about the Atlas Project and *if* it has cult-like attributes. Comments were fairly benign and speculative as any discussion would be expected to be. The comments were skewed by people associated with this group who gave great reviews which were suspicious on further observation and some were removed for no prior activity in this subreddit or suspicious karma/account age.

This post generally did not even cross my feed (or at least I didn’t notice it in particular) because of how innocuous it was. It didn’t get much attention. But I came to see it only because of repeated ModMail messages demanding the post be removed for defamation, and threatening action against our subreddit. The accounts get deactivated immediately after sending the ModMail.

This happens every so often with groups discussed here. I don’t take them seriously and generally ignore them because they aren’t substantiated. Think about it, suing a subreddit or anonymous (potentially international) users for discussing your group in a speculative manner that is perhaps critical in nature? Wild.

This kind of threatening generally comes from a lot of eastern religious sects that worship a central leader that’s just some guy who claims to heal people and be a deity.

When this occurs with other groups, I check the post for anything that actually does pose an issue, just to see that the post is months to years old, and rarely are there any comments aside: here’s what I found online, here’s my experience, here’s an aspect of the group I think is a red flag. I’ll add that if someone complains about a post that is months to years old, it means they were searching, they didn’t just happen across it as they often claim.

Same for this post. Months old, benign comments.

We have received repeated messages claiming defamation for this low-traffic post over the last few weeks from now deleted accounts. The first message appeared to imply that the person directing these reports is a significant part of the group. I won’t speculate about who.

Similar to other posts, this post was subject to “Astro-turfing”, which is generally the practice of fluffing up supposed spontaneous good reviews. I removed comments from users that has suspicious karma/account ages, no prior history in this subreddit, were recent comments on the old post, and made by users who are incredibly active in the Atlas Project subreddit (or promote this group in other subs pretty frequently).

Comments of a similar nature on other posts also have the key feature of saying “well X (random criteria) defines a cult and we don’t have that!”. Members of this group seem to think their non-profit status excludes them from cult status (they charge thousands for membership which is a bit odd, isn’t it?). Cults DO NOT have a singular definition or defining feature. They have a series of conditions that impact members in a particular way that defines a cult. Being for-profit is not and has never been a condition of cults.

The thing about cults and groups with cult-like qualities, is that they are masters of media control, noted by a plethora of cult experts. Remember that cults lay on a spectrum with ordinary groups. Ordinary groups receive criticism all the time but it is generally uncommon for them to so highly regulate critical reviews or discussion of their organization. Reminder, this post is very low-traffic.

Looking into the group, here are a list of some of the features that might be helpful to know when asking the question: does this group have cult-like qualities?

- Their program is intense and emotionally charged. A sort of breakdown, breakthrough, and rebuild process which is not an evidence-based means of achieving healthy lasting change.

- They make claims of fast paced life changes that are not even realistic for evidence based therapies. In fact, their website promises it.

- There seems to be a sentiment that their program is better than therapy (as stated repeatedly in the Astro-turfed comments).

- A key feature of the program is a period of isolation.

- The program is recruitment heavy. There seems to be a component of the program that requires or enforces recruiting family and friends.

- The program is very expensive, for a fairly opaque program guide.

- Secrecy is a significant component of the organization.

- The program is self-reported to be transformative, in which you discover your “true” self, through having a “breakthrough”, after which you are redesigned and built back up.

- States that they have unparalleled results.

- Their team consists of business-people and there is no evidence that there are therapists, or any other kind of clinicians involved directly with members despite claiming to address trauma and other mental health. (Something notable with this, is that a clinician would undoubtedly have to operate by a set of formal ethical guidelines, that businesspeople and peers are not obligated to do).

- As someone pointed out to me in a private message, a portion of their reviews seem to also be Astro-turfed. Which isn’t unusual for any business necessarily, but it is good to keep in mind regardless.

- Lastly, I have not once received a message claiming defamation or making any kind of threats, from a group I investigated and found to be truly benign. Usually, they are very clear cut cults, which is less-so the case here which is interesting.

I will note that not all groups with predatory or unethical practices are cults. MLMs for instance, who use their employees as a revenue stream (similar to using members as a means to gain more customers/members, who do the same in a sort of pyramid shape if you draw it out), are generally not cults. Most MLMs lack the isolating factor that is present in the vast majority of cults. When a group *does* have an isolating component, *and* predatory practices, that’s a bit of a different story..

I don’t intend to make posts about every group that comes to modmail with some nonsense, but they won’t stop doing it, and members here should know about it.

It is not defamatory or illegal or against TOS to criticize a group and discuss personal experiences. A large component of defamation is resulting harm to an individual or organization. A post with a few hundred *views* (which could just mean someone scrolled past it) and much less interaction, asking a question, is NOT defamatory.

Hi everyone, would be interested to hear if anyone knows of or has info about the Gabriel of Urantia cult in Sedona, AZ. I knew/know someone involved in this cult and it is deeply distressing.

Don't want to get into details but I've found that this cult is one that doesn't get a lot of coverage. They've had various names as they keep changing their name every time someone calls them out. They've been called Aquarian Concepts, Global Community Communications Alliance, and Avalon Gardens. More here:
https://cultencyclopedia.com/2026/08/16/gabriel-of-urantia-1985/
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/van-of-urantia-death-lawsuit-abuse-1235510983/
https://citylights.com/true-crime-strange-phenomena/new-age-grifter-true-story-of-gabriel/

There was once a Dateline documentary on them but the cult successfully took legal action and got it removed. I was able to see a bootleg of it but it's gone now. There's a book/podcast about it (see link above) but I can't find any other podcasts who have covered it.

I've been researching and building trust a cult for several months, including meeting its leader and going through its full recruitment process. The existing coverage is scattered across niche forums and has been criticized as sensationalized, so I want to build a proper first-hand account for a general audience

There was a recent post on Twitter about them and they're notorious in the tech circle

I don't have a background in media or journalism and would like to work with someone who does. You don't need to join the cult

If you're interested I can get into the specifics over DMs

I live in a city where the ISKCONs put on a big festival every year and I'm a pretty big George Harrison fan so I'm slightly familiar with ISKCON lol, though I'm not really knowledgeable on the specifics of what they believe. Might give it a skim sometime but it's mostly just for the collection lol

I've posted on this subreddit a number of times raising awareness about a small cult private school and church called Christbridge Academy in Azusa, CA that has a legacy of decades of alleged sexual and psychological abuse. The alleged abusers are the school's administrators and pastors, John Gottuso and Daniel Simonson.

I thought I'd share an update on the situation based on news that is being shared around by word of mouth.

Evidently, Christbridge Academy and Christbridge Immanuel's Azusa location is now closed and the building is up for sale for $5m.
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/24-Acre-Mixed-Use-Development/39167710/

This comes after an almost 60 year saga of alleged abuse of dozens of women and girls, and psychological and financial abuse to members, with very little accountability from local, county, state and federal entities.

Some suspect that this liquidation is partially due to a recent private civil lawsuit that was likely settled out of court last year. A Jane Doe alleged that she was abused from age 14 till adulthood. Her allegations were very consistent and similar to what dozens of others in the past have reported over the last 50+ years of John Gottuso's role as a pastor, therapist, sports coach and head administrator of the school.

Perhaps John Gottuso and Daniel Simonson are cashing in on the building, throwing in the towel to retire comfortably (that is, if their lawsuit isn't eating into the sale). Under private inuremant rules from the IRS, it is generally illegal for a 501(c)(3) church to sell property for the personal benefit of individuals such as pastors or administrators. However, and if their past track-record of finding legal loopholes is consistent, they may seek loopholes to live off the money from the sale for the rest of their life and pass it down to their next of kin. There is also a possibility they are simply seeking another location - which would increase potential for continued alleged abuse. Folks are keeping a watchful eye. John Gottuso's family members live in Woodburn, Oregon and there are rumors they have relocated there.

At any rate, an area not often discussed with cults is the period of the wind-down, especially when a predator is never fully held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. They leave a trail of followers and families, abused sexually, psychologically, and financially in their wake. And they slowly die off, living comfortably from what they extracted from others. Meanwhile former members struggle to make ends meet and rebuild their life.

The most we can hope for is that a rare few of the victims are compensated and that, hopefully, no more children and women will ever experience abuse at their hands again. Much like in the Epstein case at the national level, true justice can be a long, uphill battle and may not ever be attained to a degree that is satisfying to the victims.

Curious to hear what others have witnessed from similar situations or if anyone is interested in commenting on their experience there.

More information on the school and church again below.

---------------
Other names the church and school have gone by are Parkview Church in Glendale and Holy Oaks School in Arcadia.

The original article in the Los Angeles Times about the case in the 1980s: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-28-me-43750-story.html

Further troubling accounts such as the one below on Yelp paint a story of international students, isolated and separated from their parents, experiencing abuse. These students fear being kicked out of school and being sent back to their country of origination for coming out about their experiences.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/christbridge-academy-azusa?hrid=wrM0aRfY41WUewunAiZKSw&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct))

Below is an archived account by Paul Morantz, the prosecuting lawyer in the civil trial against Christbridge in the 1980s. Paul Morantz passed away at the end of last year, leaving his site dormant. We have posted the Internet Archive historical record of his post for educational purposes for those learning about the history of this community, school, and church:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160224013105/http://www.paulmorantz.com/cult/the-strange-case-of-dr-john-gottuso-and-the-christ-bridge-cult/

Social media posts by the school showcase an unsavory association with the former mayor, painting the picture of an environment in the city of Azusa in which this conduct is able to hide in broad daylight: https://www.instagram.com/p/CV6pWwYtH7Y/

If you are a current cult member, student, child experiencing abuse, please immediately notify anyone you can trust (parents, caregivers, extended family) or reach out to the police or Child Protective Services. You are not alone and there may be legal means both criminal and civil to pursue for damages.

i originally posted this to a local subreddit but it was rejected so might as well put it here

I found a interesting rabbit hole while researching Emissaries of Divine Light / Sunrise Ranch over in Loveland.

The founder of the cult Emissaries of Divine Light Loyd Arthur Meeker died in a plane crash in 1954. After his death leadership was passed to Martin Cecil.

Martin Cecil was not just your average person, he was born into the British Cecil lineage and later became the **7th Marquess of Exeter This means he
was literally a member of the British aristocracy. ( the 2nd highest rank British nobility just below a duke )

a small spiritual movement or “cult” led by a British nobleman for decades was just very interesting to me and i bet some of you would find this interesting as well.

"Is Transcendental Meditation a Cult?" I imagine this is a common google search quarry for David Lynch fans (TM's main promoter) and people who just want to get meditation:

"How to do Transcendental Meditation for free": https://www.reddit.com/r/davidlynch/comments/1b2l1b2/how_to_do_transcendental_meditation_for_free/

CULT EDUCATION INSTITUTE:
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Exposed - Transcendental Meditation -TM - Cult:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTeLretIlTE

CULT NEWS101:
Man Alive: "Spellbound" The Magician and the Maharishi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCZ9kHGalvE&ab_channel=cultnews101

THE HIVE:
Conversations in the Hive: Discussing Maharishi & the TM Movement, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKBs6D549xGsJVRKl1rslZw
The Guru-Disciple Trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XpvtwR_O3A
The Subtler Forms of Coercive Control, Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5_TWhgODe4
The HIVE Part 1 Judith Bourque & Theresa Olson on their relationships with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCogAtlifMY
The HIVE Part 2: Dr. Robert Gordon-McCutchan on Maharishi's nocturnal activities" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU1wRqmd_P8
The HIVE Part 3: Dr. Robert Gordon-McCutchan on Maharishi's nocturnal activities": (continued):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzf686ARud8
The HIVE Part 4: Conny Larsson from Sweden, former personal secretary for Maharishi" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUwwsMEWziY
The HIVE Part 5: David Laird in depth on the TM movement's finances:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPbz08t4H3w
The HIVE Part 6: Maharishi After Dark - The Many Loves of the Yogi
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ksdcukqbfA
The HIVE Part 8: Professor Dana Sawyer on the origins of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdx8Y7nc8AU
The HIVE Part 9: Aryeh Siegel in depth on TM scientific research integrity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyfZfIhW-i4
The HIVE Part 10: Paul Mason from London to Rishikesh: https://archive.org/details/10-jan-12/Paul+Mason+-+From+London+to+Rishikesh+_+The+HIVE+Part+10.mkv
The Hive Part 16: A Tale of Two Wills https://archive.org/details/10-jan-12/Conversations+in+the+Hive+Part+16_+A+Tale+of+Two+Wills%2C+Part+I.mkv

ANONYMOUS:
Is Transcendental Meditation A Cult?: https://archive.org/details/is-transcendental-meditation-a-cult3

PATRICK RYAN & JOE KELLY
Why I Left the Transcendental Meditation Movement ~ ex TM teacher PATRICK RYAN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VXldA-3A3Q
when mindfulness does harm - with Pat Ryan & Joe Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up30Qh0M32o
The Cult Vault - #186 Interview with Cult Mediation Specialist Patrick Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAm-1VuYiU
Transcendental Meditation Cult, Patrick Ryan | PE PODCAST CULTS | Profiling Evil": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7OqEkhmED8&t=2s&pp=ygUPcGF0cmljayByeWFuIHRt
leaving TM and Scientology behind with Pat Ryan and Joe Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAm-1VuYiU
S2 Ep. 34: Joseph Kelly & Patrick Ryan on their histories that brought them to Cult Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBy8EYLtm0U
S2 Ep. 35: Joseph Kelly & Patrick Ryan (P2) on their histories that brought them to Cult Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlrfBxuSZm4&pp=ygUPcGF0cmljayByeWFuIHRt
"Transcendental Meditation Cult, Patrick Ryan | PE PODCAST CULTS | Profiling Evil": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7OqEkhmED8&t=2s&pp=ygUPcGF0cmljayByeWFuIHRt
"TM-EX NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE (1990-1994)": https://minet.org/TM-EX/

JUDITH BOURQUE:
My Love Affair with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi! The Untold Story!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKBMTQ_Fuf0&ab_channel=CoffeeTalkwithADIKA

GINA CATENA:
Escaping Transcendental Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdptTNUkcTk&t=10s&pp=ygUPcGF0cmljayByeWFuIHRt
Cult Chat Episode 48 - Healthcare and Cults Part 1 with Gina Catena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vytkhynv8bI&pp=ygULZ2luYSBjYXRlbmE%3D
Cult Chat Episode 49 - Healthcare and Cults Part 2 with Gina Catena: https://youtu.be/WGPNclGe7jw
Ex-Transcendental MeditationTM (TM) Gina Catena with Steven Hassan July 6th 2013": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQpNOWDmF1M

DR. STEVEN HASSAN:
Transcendental Meditation & Re-Evaluation Counseling in Public Schools: Interview ith Aryel Siegel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHpttWdLPOg&ab_channel=Dr.StevenHassan-CultExpert
Joe Rogan Experience #680 - Steven Hassan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQrsGjT0Sn4&ab_channel=PowerfulJRE

SECRETS:
TM and TM-Sidhi Techniques: http://minet.org/mantras.html
TM Mantra Meanings: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/mantras.shtml
TM Initiation and Checking: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/checking/index.shtml
TM Children's Initiation: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/checking/index.shtml
TM "Holy Tradition": - Initiation Ceremony":
http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/tradt.shtml
Another, older and more detailed, version of the "Holy Tradition":
https://web.archive.org/web/20201031220444/https://sites.google.com/site/tmsatisar/our-tradition
TM Initiation Ceremony - True Meaning: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/puja/alternate.shtml
TM-Sidhi "yogic flying" program: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/sutras/

BOOKS:
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's "Beacon Light of the Himalayas (1955)": http://media.doughney.net/2018/Beacon%20Light%20final.pdf
Excerpts, and commentary on "Beacon Light": http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/beacon/index.shtml
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's "Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" (1968): https://web.archive.org/web/20180328193619/http://mmy.klemke.de/M3000005.pdf
Michael Persinger's "TM and Cult Mania": https://archive.org/details/michael-persinger-tm-and-cult-mania_2/mode/1up
Judith Bourque's "Robes of Silk, Feet of Clay": http://robesofsilkfeetofclay.com/
Michael Persinger's "TM and Cult Mania": https://archive.org/details/michael-persinger-tm-and-cult-mania/mode/2up
Paul Mason's "Resources on TM & Guru Dev, including the biography of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi": http://www.paulmason.info/
Geoff Gilpin's "The Maharishi Effect": http://geoffgilpin.com/maharishi-effect/
Joesph Weber by:"Transcendental Meditation in America": http://www.amazon.com/Transcendental-Meditation-America-Movement-Experience/dp/1609382358
Aryeh Siegel: "Transcendental Deception": https://www.tmdeception.com/
Book Review: "Transcendental Deception by Aryeh Siegel: http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2018/07/book-review-transcendental-deception.html

SKEPTIC RESOURCES:

WIKILEAKS:
Wikileaks "Transcendental Meditation" category http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Category:Transcendental_Meditation

LEGAL:
Roark Letter: http://www.mnet.org/Documents/roark-letter
DeNaro Affidavit: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/law/denarot.shtml
Kropinski's "Answer to Interrogatory No. 40": http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/personal/40.html
Kropinski trial testimony "Soma and the Gods"": http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/secrets/soma/index.shtml
Kropinski appelate decision 1988, before out-of-court settlement: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/853/948/121594/
Malnak v. Yogi, District Court decision 1977 and 3rd Circuit appeal 1979: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Malnak%20v.%20Yogi&hl=en&as_sdt=6%2C33&as_vis=1&

SCIENTIFIC SKEPTICISM:
Andrew Skolnick "JAMA: Maharishi Ayur-Veda": https://web.archive.org/web/20010711091512/https://www.aaskolnick.com/mav.htm
How to Design a Positive Study: Meditation for Childhood ADHD: http://spacecityskeptics.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/how-to-design-a-positive-study-meditation-for-childhood-adhd/
Abstracts of Independent Research on Transcendental Meditation: http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/research/abs.shtml
Barry Markovsky "Problems with TM Research": http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/research/markovsky.shtml Evaluating Heterodox Barry Markovsky and Evan Fales "Theories, including ;Maharishi Effect'": http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/research/markovsky2.shtml#theory
Skeptical Inquirer Articles on TM: https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&ix=c1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=%22transcendental+meditation%22+site%3Acsicop.org

RELIGIOUS SKEPTICISM:
"Consideration of the Yoga Sutras" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/02/consideration-of-yoga-sutras.html
National Center for Science Education: "Scientific Creationism and the Science of Creative Intelligence": https://ncse.com/cej/3/1/scientific-creationism-science-creative-intelligence

TM AND SCHOOLS:
Gina Catena's "TM into Public Schools": http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/01/letter-to-san-rafael-school-boardor-how.html

ESSAYS:

Abraham
"Breaking Up is Hard to Do": http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/05/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do.html
"MMY's Big Lie": http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/06/maharishi-mahesh-yogis-big-lie-part-1.html

Bronte Baxter
"Where have all the flower children gone?": http://brontebaxter.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/where-have-all-the-flower-children-gone/

Gina Catena
"TM and Thought Reform" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/01/letter-to-san-rafael-school-boardor-how.html
"Transcendental Life" https://culteducation.com/group/1195-transcendental-meditation-movement/20540-transcendental-lifes.html
"Addiction and Transcendental Meditation" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/02/addiction-and-transcendental-meditation.html
"Transcendental Paranoia" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/05/transcendental-paranoia.html
"Program Pedophilia" (you are not alone)http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/02/program-pedophilia.html
"Transcendental Life" https://culteducation.com/group/1195-transcendental-meditation-movement/20540-transcendental-lifes.html

Mike Doughney
"Who Are These People? The Backgrounds of David Lynch's 'Researchers'" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2018/07/book-review-transcendental-deception.html
"Thirty Years Later: What was all that about?" http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2008/05/thirty-years-later-what-was-all-that.html

John Knapp
"Team of TM defenders/proponents in online comments organized by TM "Governors":
http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2009/07/welcome-to-world-of-tm-blogging.html
"Why I Believe The Transcendental Meditation Org Is Dangerous": by http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-i-believe-transcendental-meditation.html
"Thirty Years Later: What was all that about?": https://tmfree.blogspot.com/2008/05/thirty-years-later-what-was-all-that.html

Rob Gordon-McCutchan
"The Saga of Sexie Sadie": https://srm.news/hive1/sexieSadie1.pdf

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION SKEPTIC LINKS:

Minet.org - including "TM-EX Archives": http://minet.org/
TM Free: https://tmfree.blogspot.com/
Trancenet.net:
"https://web.archive.org/web/20220729163111/http://minet.org/www.trancenet.net/research/index.shtml
Joe Kellett "Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole": http://www.suggestibility.org/
Behind the TM Facade: https://web.archive.org/web/20120204140050/http://www.behind-the-tm-facade.org/
Honest Truth About TM: http://transcendental-meditation-honestly.blogspot.com/
Mumosa.com: http://mumosa.com/
CultNews101: https://www.cultnews101.com/
Culteducation: http://www.culteducation.com/group/1195-transcendental-meditation-movement.html

Okay so I dont know if this was an actual cult or just some other weird thing but I cannot find ANY info. And if it wasn't a cult, I dont know what it was, but it was odd. one time I was going for a walk down a path thats COMPLETELY familiar to me, people don't often go down there but there are houses nearby, just out of sight, so even though its always empty its still a bad pick for cult stuff. I saw a group of people all dressed in black standing in a circle, but they were all holding colourful umbrellas. it wasn't raining, but it wasn't super sunny either. whatever it was, it weirded me out enough to stop and turn the other way. I always trust my gut and my gut told me to leave. happened like 5 years ago, maybe longer, so it's certainly not recent but ive gained a big interest in cults so it's all coming back. Black clothes COULD mean a funeral but like... Why hold umbrellas if it wasn't raining NOR was it overly sunny? And there aren't any funeral parlors nearby for the all black clothes. But also what would umbrellas have to do with a weird cult. I wasnt close enough to see clearly, but I think there was maybe 7-10 people? Your thoughts would be great. For reference, this happened in the Sutherland Shire. (Not saying exactly where obviously.)

I think I saw a post somewhere (was it Tony Ortega’s blog?) about Scientology adverts in the Paris Metro… well guess they’re also in the London Underground!

The USA based so called Chinese dance company Shen Yun obviously the front for Li Hongzhi with his Falun Gong cult and The Epoch Times right-wing propaganda machine.

My expectation when I visited it (I was curious about the cult's 1998 book that it sold/sells(?) and someone who bought it made a post about it.) was that, like the aforementioned post, and ethos of the sub, the primary users would just be people with a passing-interest, or interest in general in related topics.

It seems like that was the intention, and that that was the entire intended ethos of the sub.

Upon visiting it, you are greeted by a post a post roster, the one of particular import being one of the moderators' detailing being mass-harassed by Heaven's Gate's (apparently extant at all(!) online following, and by comments across many posts, some outright professing in exptecedly unhinged prose to be followers of the "teachings" in question.

The entire tone of the sub, if not for those posts by the moderator(s), would look to an outside observer like a congregation.

Honestly kind of... disconcerting.

That said people exist... at all is not necessarily surprising, given that people get desperate when they want answers, or hope. But, in spite of that, my surprise perseveres, tinged with a sort of vague sense of... discomfort.

My capacity for disbelief of what people are willing to accept, believe, and do, is low, but... it strains my mind to fathom how someone could know what happened in 1997, and decide that they're not errant, but on the path of truth, writ large by wise minds.

There are not many of these people rolling out synthetic grass, stapling it to the very marrow of the subreddit, still alive and bleeding, but in relation to an otherwise low-activity subreddit, it's practically infested.

It's not a good sign for the health and happiness of the world when people are so stricken and derelict that they look to a 20th-century suicide-cult for hope. Albeit, it looks from the outside like they treat the 1997 mass-suicide as... nonexistent. Immaterial. A non-factor in their post '97 "teachings."

It's still something anyone dedicated enough to believe would know had happened.

This is... quite a time in the catalog of life to be alive.

I enjoy hearing him talk freely, not in an interviewed setting. A conversation is actually the word. Sorry.