by George A. Boyd ©1990
Cults had lost much of the
media interest that made them sensational during the late 1970s and early
1980s, until the Waco Texas standoff between David Koresh and his Branch
Dravidian sect and agents of the federal government brought them starkly
back into our attention once again. Whether cults are featured in media
attention or not, the cults continue to proselytize, indoctrinate, and
incorporate young men and women. It seems we always have cults with us,
dwelling right below the threshold of respectable religion.
At some point in each cult member's career, he or
she comes to question the value of continuing participation in this group.
He or she must decide whether the beliefs and practices that have been
learned still have continued relevance for his or her life. If during
this time of existential crisis, the individual elects to leave the group,
a new set of problems arises, because trying to return to normal society
after having lived in a cultic group is difficult, for several reasons.
First, the rules for living embodied in
the group's moral code, embodied in its system of commandments or yama
and niyama, are often extremely rigid, and create severe guilt and inner
conflict when an ex-cult member pursues normal biological and social
drives. The message that has been learned in the cult's moral indoctrination
has been, among others, that sexuality is evil, ambition is evil, enjoyment
of simple pleasures is evil, desiring material goals is evil, and sometimes,
the very mind or ego itself is evil. This initiative-destroying code
of morality must be reconstructed to allow a more realistic adaptation
to life.
Second, the rules for living embodied by the cultic
group have often so lessened the need to make independent decisions
by a member, that the ability to make independent life choices has become
weakened. Instead, ritual and routine have eclipsed will. This ability
to make decisions must be rehabilitated.
Third, the belief systems from the cultic group's
indoctrination that are taken into the subconscious mind are frightening,
guilt provoking, esteem crushing, and humiliating. These negative messages
that have been implanted create an inner core of pain, low self-esteem,
and terror. These feelings must be brought out and shared, and gradually,
through new, corrective therapeutic and life experiences, be allowed
to heal.
Fourth, losing a superhuman love object, be it
a deified human cult leader, a historical hero, or an archetypal Supreme
Being, requires a grieving process. The attachment of cult members to
this central figure of adoration is extremely powerful, and it includes
the projection of multiple unsatisfied needs. Indeed, these unsatisfied
needs may have been the motivation for joining the group in the first
place, as the inductee has been promised the satiation of desires and
needs by this All Powerful Being. These needs must be recognized, associated
with their appropriate and realistic avenues of satisfaction, and active
measures must be taken for the individual to undertake to achieve the
goal through his or her own efforts. Further, the disappointment of
the individual at not having his or her needs met by this superhuman
agency is another issue that must be brought to awareness and dealt
with, as there is often a residual core of feelings of anger, betrayal,
and unworthiness.
Fifth, the orientation of the group has been to
encourage functioning in spiritual or noetic realms of experience, and
to severely delimit participation in so-called worldly activity. The
re-emerging member must learn how to reuse his or her ability to function
in the world, and rebalance it with the newly found abilities to become
immersed in the subconscious and Superconscious mind.
Sixth, the cult members may have been indoctrinated
with a "chosen people" mentality. The symptoms of this emphasis are
an attitude of "specialness", superiority, or exclusiveness, often combined
with an injunction to proselytize or teach the doctrine for others.
The members of these cultic groups have nominal community, that is,
they report a sense of feeling loved by and belonging to the group,
yet inwardly feel isolated and disconnected from others. Further, they
may have difficulties in achieving intimacy because they have learned
that many of their feelings and impulses are wrong or unacceptable to
a superhuman agency, and must not be expressed. They may feel split-off
from the world and society, or even persecuted by it.
After living for months and years in a cultic
group, feeling so different from others makes resurfacing in society
an awkward and scary experience for them. Exploration in a safe environment
of common interests and similar needs, together with learning new strategies
for communicating and negotiating with others can help heal the alienation
and loneliness ex-cult members may feel. Ultimately, a former cult member
must reconcile within him or herself that it is all right to be a person.
This means it is OK to have to have feelings and needs, to be confused
and not have all the answers, and to be able to reach out to another
from the inner core of humanness. From this core of vulnerability and
strength, he or she can step out from behind the "shield of the doctrine"
or the "armor of the faith".
Seventh, the re-emerging member must re-bond and
reintegrate him or herself into his or her circle of family, friends
and society. The stranger must return from the wilderness, and rejoin
the network of relationships and obligations that he or she has left
behind. This requires understanding, patience and support by those that
would facilitate this reintegration.
To begin this process of reintegration and inner
healing that is required to emerge from a cultic group, it is important
to differentiate those skills or abilities that are required to function
"in the world" and those that are required to function "in the Spirit."
A self-actualized individual has developed a comfortable facility with
both "realities", and can operate in both fields, deriving inspiration,
creative ideas, and spiritual sustenance from the spiritual, and the satisfaction
of achievement and actualization, that is, making real one's dreams and
goals by the practical. The chart below differentiates these necessary
skills and abilities.
TO FUNCTION IN THE WORLD
|
TO FUNCTION IN THE SPIRIT
|
Process information through the concrete or rational mind
|
Process information through the intuitional or buddhic mind
|
Relate to practical or everyday realities, real world people, places
and things
|
Relate to symbolic, archetypal or allegorical meanings of experience
|
Feel visceral or "gut level" feelings
|
Feel devotion, spiritual and altruisic emotions
|
Involved in real human relationships: lover, friend, or relative
spouse
|
Relate to others in an idealized fashion: a spiritual "family",
sons and daughters of God, spiritual brothers and sisters, a Father/Mother
God
|
Immediate experience of sensations and emotions; direct response
upon and contact with the environment through physical action
|
Experience of subtle "inner" Planes of reality and the action of
spiritual agencies
|
Being in the body, oriented to the environment
|
Being focused on an abstract point within the Great Continuum of
Consciousness
|
Being in the world, a participant in one's own life and the lives
of others
|
Being detached from the world as an observer witnessing the contents
of awareness in contemplative absorption
|
Strengths include participating in the world and taking responsibility
for achieving one's goals
|
Strengths include learning from experience, developing receptivity
to spiritual influences and expressing the creativity, idealism
and altruism of the Higher Mind in the world
|
Like an amphibian, that lives its
life both in the water and on land, the ex-cult member must learn to function
again in the practical field of action, yet retain the ability to commune
with his or her inner life. This includes the experience of both subjective,
the field of thoughts and feelings, and the transubjective domain of intuitive
knowledge and spiritual noumena.
The Amphibian World View
There are four ways people come to grips with
the practical and spiritual sides of their human nature: through the worldviews
of the materialist, the "blissed-out devotee," the psychotic, and the
amphibian.
The materialist believes "only the material
world is true". The materialist represses his or her spiritual side,
effectively blocking out higher altruistic and intuitive impulses. He
or she can get things done in the material world and is often successful
in pursuing material projects or personal goals, but is not concerned
with the quest for meaning and higher values.
The blissed-out devotee believes
"only the spiritual world is inherently true", the material world is
often viewed as a world of evil, or illusion (Maya), or a prison house
imprisoning the spirit. The devotee represses, suppresses or sublimates
material desires. He or she may accomplish group-endorsed projects or
avocations, but may be deficient in accomplishing personally defined
goals and aspirations.
There is also a tendency to live in a world of
idealism, hope and faith, without having concrete or clearly defined
means for bringing these aims into realization. Instead, they are left
to Providence or the Supreme Being to bring into manifestation, and
often, these aims simply are never achieved. The euphoria induced in
the altered states of consciousness produced by prayer and meditative
practices is pleasurable, and the philosophical and moral substrate
of the spiritual life provide meaning and value to life. The pursuit
of Grace, Beatitude or Nirvana, may give a rationale for the rituals
and practices incumbent upon the spiritual devotee, and may give a sense
of grand purpose to a life that hitherto may have lacked a sense of
purpose. A devotee may lack the material things, but has no lack of
substance, possessing his or her Soul in peace and gratitude.
The psychotic believes "neither the material
world nor the spiritual world are true, trustworthy or reliable." The
psychotic takes refuge in illusion and fantasy, rejects the world's
values, and is denied the peace of the Spirit: his or her inner world
is one of perpetual psychological torment. The psychotic's world is
filled with distortion by hallucinations and delusions. Their effective
action hindered is by regressive or inappropriate behavior. The psychotic
whose life lacks compassionate and understanding therapeutic intervention
often makes little or no progress either spiritually or materially,
progressively deteriorates, and ultimately wastes the promise and potentials
of his or her life.
The amphibian believes "both the material
and spiritual world are true", and thus accepts both the material and
spiritual sides of his or her nature. The amphibian experiences both
material desires and spiritual aspirations, works on both aspects and
makes progress in both areas. He or she can integrate meaning and values,
yet has clearly-defined and coherent goals and can accomplish practical
projects. He or she can differentiate between the realities and requirements
of the spiritual path and the material existence and can function effectively
in both.
The ex-cult member has the resource of having
taken time off from his or her normal pattern of life, and has devoted
some time to the spiritual quest. This open conduit that has been formed
through spiritual practices and prayers allows a communication with the
Higher Mind and the dimension of Spirit. Most people caught up in the
concerns of daily living rarely experience this dimension. This conduit
to the Higher Mind can be a pipeline for creativity, inspiration, and
intuition. It adds rewarding meta-values to living, and opens the door
to communion with Supernal Reality.
Becoming an Amphibian
Guidelines for developing an amphibian approach
to integrating material goals and spiritual aspirations include the following:
1) Schedule time to develop the spiritual and material
sides of your nature.
2) Question the ultimate conclusions that deny the validity
of the material or spiritual world. Approach the problem not from the
standpoint of establishing truth or error, but evaluate the relative usefulness
and area of contribution that each side of your nature makes to your life
and experience.
3) Visualize the ideal of an integral self that has
a fulfilled material nature, and an evolved, mature and wise spiritual
nature.
4) Realize that attention is the "focalizer" of the
mind. Whatever you focus your attention upon is nurtured and developed.
Focus your attention upon your material desires and dreams, and these
will fructify; focus your attention upon your spiritual nature, and you
will reap the rich harvest of wisdom, understanding, and virtue.
5) Have a location where you perform material activities.
An example is a personal office with a desk containing a typewriter or
computer, a calculator, stamps, pens, pencils, and paper. In this place
you will pay bills, write correspondence, set goals, and organize your
material life.
In another location, have a place of peace and seclusion
where you can devote time to spiritual activities such as prayer and meditation,
introspection and spiritual journal writing. In this place you may wish
to design an altar, have a meditation cushion, incense, inspirational
books, flowers, power objects, pictures of holy men or women from whom
you draw inspiration. Spend time in both places daily.
6) Realize the stream of your motivation runs in two
directions: toward concrete achievement and towards transcendence. Concrete
achievement works on definite goals in your personal life; transcendence
works in the realm of the Spirit for the development of your Higher Nature
and an ultimate Union or Beatitude with the Divine. Allow your motivation
to liberate your determination and aspiration.
7) Each of the functions of your personality have a
material side and a spiritual side. Consider the qualities represented
in the following table:
PERSONALITY ELEMENT
|
MATERIAL COMPONENT
|
SPIRITUAL COMPONENT
|
SENSATION
|
Experiences physical world
|
Experiences spiritual dimensions
|
MOVEMENT
|
Operates in physical world, through work and play
|
Expresses ecstatic dance, mudras, movement of the
Spirit through the body
|
FEELING-DESIRE
|
Experiences longing for a compatible mate, intimacy
and sexual union
|
Experiences devotion and longing for the Spirit, and
for liberation
|
EMOTION |
"Earthy" emotions of anger, grief, satisfaction, attraction
|
"Heavenly" emotions of joy, love, compassion, faith,
courage
|
INTUITION
|
"Gut level" feeling sense, reveals the truths of the
organism, of others' true intentions, and best strategies among
alternatives
|
"Still small voice," reveals truths of the Superconscious
Mind and of the Divine Order; makes manifest the requirements of
the Divine Will
|
REASON-INTELLECT
|
Plans, analyzes, and defines the steps to accomplish
material goals; provides reality testing and checking of the correctness
of information
|
Discriminates the true Nature of the Soul, conferring
Enlightenment
|
WILL
|
Directs human life toward definite goals, makes decisions
|
Disciplines life according to moral principles, refines
habits, character and behavior
|
IDENTITY
|
Identifies with the physical body, the unique talents
and personal history that makes up the human personality
|
Identifies as a spiritual essence, as the Transpersonal
Self, having a sense of Purpose, Spiritual Ability and Compassion
|
8) Visualize yourself as a spiritual
hero or Master. Consider what this sublime attainment would be like. Visualize
your material success, doing, being, and having what you want in life.
Consider what it would take for you to achieve this pinnacle of material
achievement. Notice if these two scenarios make conflicting demands on
your time and resources. Design a lifestyle or situation where you could
have both.
By accepting and developing both aspects of your
nature, you adopt the amphibian strategy. The amphibian strategy, living
in the waters of the Spirit, but hatching the eggs of your goals and dreams
in the warm earth of practical functioning yields the fullest experience
of life.
Successful reintegration is possible, even though
you may have spent long periods under a cult's hypnotic domination. The
ex-cult member can be reassured that the time spent exploring the worlds
of the Spirit was not wasted, but was an open door into a world of understanding
and value. The key lesson that must be learned is that practical functioning
should not be eschewed, but vigorously pursued with an aim to achieve
a balanced development of spiritual and material natures. Those who pursue
this path enjoy the best of both worlds!
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