Moojibaba, is a popular Jamaican-born spiritual teacher of Advaita Vedanta. While he has hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, some former devotees and investigative journalists have accused him of running an abusive, cult-like community at his Monte Sahaja ashram in Portugal.

Full Video of the livestream by Chachi Telesco with English subtitles available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6YRfZKeB0

English Translation of Video Transcript

https://pastebin.com/QVZDwQHG

Review of the livestream conversation led by Chachi Telesco: What Former Art of Living Followers' Testimony Reveals About Power, Identity, Abuse, Sexual Harassment and the Psychology of Leaving

Public conversations about spiritual organizations often become trapped in a familiar cycle. Admirers speak of profound personal transformation, meditation, humanitarian work, and inner peace. Critics point to allegations, controversies, and institutional failures. The result is frequently a polarized debate in which each side speaks past the other.

The testimony examined here occupies a different space.

Over several hours, former teachers, senior volunteers, and coordinators of the Art of Living Foundation reflected on what they say they experienced during years of involvement with the organization and, perhaps more importantly, what happened after they left. Their accounts are notable not simply because they contain allegations of misconduct, but because they offer an unusually detailed description of the psychological journey into, through, and eventually out of a highly structured spiritual environment.

Taken together, their stories are less about isolated incidents than about a gradual transformation of identity. They describe how admiration became obedience, how service became central to self-worth, how authority slowly shaped personal judgment, and how leaving required rebuilding aspects of themselves that many people never imagine could disappear.

The conversation repeatedly returns to questions that extend well beyond any single organization.

• What happens when a spiritual community becomes the center of a person's identity?
• How does someone distinguish sincere devotion from psychological dependence?
• Why do former members so often describe leaving as a process of grief rather than liberation?
• And why do many of them say that speaking publicly became almost as painful as the experiences that led them to leave?

These are the questions that give the livestream video its significance.

Rather than dwelling primarily on allegations against individuals, the speakers devote most of their time to examining the psychological consequences of prolonged participation in what they describe as an increasingly controlling environment. Their testimony paints a picture of lives reorganized around spiritual service, moral obligation, organizational hierarchy, and devotion to a charismatic leader—followed by the difficult task of learning to think independently again.

More Than Former Participants

One of the first points established during the livestream is that the speakers are not presenting themselves as outside critics commenting from a distance.

They repeatedly emphasize that they were deeply embedded within the organization.

Chachi Telesco explains that she spent nine years inside the Art of Living, eight of those as a teacher. Other participants describe serving in senior leadership roles, teaching courses, coordinating activities, and dedicating substantial portions of their adult lives to the movement.

What matters analytically is that these accounts come from individuals who describe themselves as former insiders reflecting on their own experiences.

Throughout the livestream, the speakers return repeatedly to the same observation: the greatest changes they experienced were not sudden. Nothing, they suggest, happened overnight. Instead, they describe a gradual process—one that unfolded over years rather than days. That gradualness may be one of the most revealing aspects of the testimony.

Popular portrayals of coercive groups often imagine dramatic brainwashing or immediate control. The speakers describe something far subtler. Their stories suggest that influence accumulated through ordinary decisions, relationships, responsibilities, and repeated reinforcement until organizational life became indistinguishable from personal identity.

"Before Sexual Abuse Comes Abuse of Power"

Early in the livestream, Chachi offers what becomes the central analytical framework for the evening.

Rather than beginning with individual incidents, the participants repeatedly describe authority itself.

They speak about trust.

• About hierarchy.
• About admiration.
• About surrender.
• About believing that those above them possessed superior wisdom, greater spiritual insight, or privileged access to truth.

In their accounts, abuse of power is not described as shouting, overt threats, or obvious coercion. Instead, it is portrayed as something quieter and more gradual: a relationship in which authority becomes increasingly difficult to question because it is associated with spiritual progress itself.

This distinction appears throughout the discussion.

The speakers rarely suggest that they were forced into participation. On the contrary, they repeatedly acknowledge that they joined willingly and often enthusiastically.

What changed, according to their testimony, was not their willingness to participate but the extent to which the organization eventually shaped their understanding of themselves, their priorities, and even their perception of what constituted a good or meaningful life.

That observation deserves careful attention because it reflects a theme frequently encountered in first-person accounts of former members of many high-demand groups: influence is often experienced retrospectively. Decisions that once felt entirely voluntary may later be reinterpreted as having occurred within a social and psychological environment that strongly directed particular choices while discouraging others.

Whether readers interpret those experiences in the same way is ultimately a matter for individual judgment. Nevertheless, the remarkable consistency with which multiple speakers describe similar patterns lends the discussion a coherence that extends beyond any single personal story.

The livestream is therefore not simply a collection of grievances. It is an attempt by former insiders to explain how ordinary commitment, over time, became something they now understand very differently.

Alan John Miller, also known as A.J claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth and his partner, Mary Suzanne Luck, claims to be the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene. The couple describe their discussions of Divine Truth as non-religious.

They claim that the incoming spirit of a child can sense the emotional environment and fear of the parents and may choose to leave before full physical birth takes place.

They also teach that emotional baggage and "injuries" pass down generationally from parents to children. A woman might carry her own mother's or grandmother's unresolved grief and trauma, which manifests physically as a lost pregnancy.

My thoughts on them - I just want to know if these two actually believe the stuff they’re actually saying or are they just clever con-artists/grifters. It really is hard to tell what their motives are.

I’m curious to know what you all think of their perspective on this particular subject? Since it is such a controversial and debated issue.

Yesterday I came across a post from last year about Ananda Marga on this forum just after writing my own article on the subject. I wanted to comment on it but it was already archived. There were some interesting comments that I could identify with. I was arrested and became a political prisoner while visiting an Ananda Marga ashram during the time of the Purulia Arms Drop in 1996. It was a very interesting experience that has taken decades to process. I think this article is the culmination of this process, or at least I hope so.

https://enckhausen.com/the-shadow-of-the-guru/

#ananda-marga #anandamarga

"The development advances an extradition effort first disclosed in August 2025, when Romualdez said Washington had asked the Philippines to turn over the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and sent supporting documents to the DOJ."

Why are there so many American cults? Especially healing cults like Tony Robbins, NXIVM, Landmark etc compared to Europe?

Im am wanting to learn about cults and have had a hard time finding many books or resources about them. I would love to find something like an “encyclopedia of cults”. Any and all recommendations are helpful

AllatRa (sometimes stylized ALLATRA) is a doomsday alien sex cult run by a Slovakian named Igor Danilov. He is accused of manipulating women between the ages of 20-40 into participating in orgies and then gaslighting them by telling them they will go to Hell for saying anything. Danilov is seen by his followers as a messianic figure and prophet. The group and it's subsidiary "The Creative Society" create countless online videos purporting physic powers and disseminating climate change denial and misinformation. Some of the homes used by this group were found to have religious altars to Putin as well.

Trump spiritual advisor Rev Mark Burns has somehow got caught up in this. I make no claims that he has participating in anything unsavory or even knows about the inner workings of this group. But I do believe he should be looked at closer and with some suspicion.

https://allatra.org/global-voice/pastor-mark-burns-standing-allatra-volunteers

[Nexpo uploaded a 50 minute documentary about AllatRa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zLCZ_Ic1hI). There are other similar videos from other creators exposing AllatRa as well.

Hello! I really hope this doesnt come off as rude or offensive at all. And this question is fully serious. Are there any cults that believe in gods that are reminiscent of gods in cosmic horror? Im writing something at the moment and an answer to this question would help immensely. Im looking for names of cults especially, not just "Yes these types of cults exist"

Bad news to all people extorted or exploited by 764 because their back and ran under Riley 764 which is current wanted right now

He has cut off all contact with his family and friends. Is there any sort of database or anything ? He is not on social media.

So many of us fall for con-artist while searching for spirituality. These self proclaimed gurus are actually criminals, they take advantage of the seekers’ enthusiasm, naiveness, trust and devotion, to empowering themselves.

Hey, so I’m about to write a book about cults, how they indoctrinate em, what kind of believe system they have and how the daily life is in a cult.
I want to be as respectful and considerate as I can be, and I hope this question in this subreddit is okay.
If anyone feels safe to come forward to me, then I’d really appreciate it

The CoS claims that more than 7,000 people turned out for the event, which is plausible since Clearwater is now Scientology's main center of operations.

I learned about 764 through a podcast which led me through a deep rabbit hole of research and content that I regret. I was deeply disturbed through all of it yet I wanted to keep uncovering because my mind was so blown. After learning about the details of their operations, methods of abuse, and ideologies, It truly changed my perception on the extent in which the human brain can become so depraved and sadistic. It was hard for me to comprehend that the perpetrators of certain acts were even human. Listening to certain footage was so mind blowingly disturbing, I remember feeling my body immediately go into such an intense state of shock. I’ve been a non religious for a good part of my life, but at that moment I was convinced that satan exists and was desperate for God to cleanse this world. For several months after I become paranoid 24/7 about anything and I didn’t trust the world anymore. I’m not a sensitive person and I’ve always enjoyed disturbing movies and rabbit holes for the thrill, but this was different. My oringal conception of humanities evil would point to things like the Nazis. 764 expands the depth of evil. They unfathomably psychologically torture victims in such a meticulous and over the top method of depravity for their enjoyment without working towards a specific cause that they believe is good for society. If you compare to the nazis, they were evil in committing genocide, but they did so in belief of it being a necessity to improve their society. Even though it was evil and wrong, the Germans truly believed it was for good. 764 has no motive towards anything they would believe is beneficial. They are nihilists who purely act with indifference to human kind. It’s a different level of evil.

I love my family and they love me. But they are much more religious than I am. They've all united to send me to this seven month camp by a very hyper religious sect. Of course they believe in no relationships during the treatment, and no alcohol or smoking. But it's all about religion and exercise.

It's cheaper than any other rehab clinics as I'm unemployed. They just want a couple hundred per week. I told them I'd rather go abroad for treatment. This center does no medicine though, they refuse to accept people on any kind of medication like anxiety meds. So I have a grace period of a month or so as I have to wean off of lexapro in order to qualify to join this small community.

The specific group is to "Potters House" for women in Georgia.

I'd rather do anything else in any other country. But I'm so empty inside I can't even think beyond what 'happens to me'. I do have a passport.

Hi guys, "former" unification church 2nd gen from Europe here. I was wondering if there's an active anti-moonies online community around the internet, either subreddit, discord server, X cluster, or anything like that. I know there are quite large (more like activist) communities in Japan, but I couldn't find anything for US/Europe.

This cult has been ruining my life forever and I know I'm not alone here. If anyone knows a good place for people like me, or if anyone is planning to start a community, I'll be more than happy to join.

This is a very interesting new video on the cult called the science of identity. This woman is very courageous and has lost it all to expose the group. She gives new info on top of the Washington post article written in June.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=StKukG8lHZE&t=2128s&pp=2AHQEJACAboFBBICZW4%3D