I didn’t realize I had been raised in a cult, and even now, using that word seems a bit exaggerated, and yet every single mind control practice known was and is used by the religious organization I left when I was 19 years old, called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormons or LDS for short.
I had questions from the age of seven, starting with why black men had not been allowed to hold the priesthood, which only grew as I got older, but there were still some things that crept in through the cracks and limited my thinking and my perceptions of myself like the fact that women weren’t allowed the power of the priesthood at all.
My questions were met with shock and a bit of projected shame that in some ways made me feel like I just was odd and didn’t fit in. I was constantly told I just needed to have faith, but I did actually have faith, I also had questions that just didn’t ever add up based on my direct experiences of communing with the Holy. It has a frequency that is undeniable, and the explanations and suggestions from the church leaders didn’t feel compelling.
I know that being a channel and having direct experiences of communion with the ineffable helped me to stay connected with a certain part of myself, and yet I suffered from incredibly low self-esteem that led to suicidal thoughts and even attempts starting at the age of ten.
At the age of 19, after promising my mom I would read all of the Mormon scriptures and truly pray about whether it is true or not, I found even more questions about what was said that was contradictory, what was practiced that seemed hypocritical, and again, the only admonition was to “just have faith,” which, I did, but it wasn’t in the Mormom church. My faith was in my own inner wisdom, so I left.
I have known all of my life that I am here to help people, and I have known all of my life that I’ve wanted the spiritual access that is available to me to be available to others because I have seen that when we can access our own inner truth, and make choices based on our authentic desires and values, free from manipulation, the diversity and freedom will bring about joy, creative innovation, and a thriving future for all life that is found in the most beautiful and healthy ecosystems.
As I have used my gifts and pursued an academic career as well as a spiritual path of deep initiations, I’ve been able to do some very deep deprogramming of myself and others. Even at 52 years old, I’m still releasing old blocks to my voice. It truly is a lifelong pursuit.
I have studied cults to get a better understanding of my own experience and to go over my own leadership and dogma-free church with a fine-tooth comb to make sure that what we are providing is truly liberating. Early on, Source wisdom sparked in me the value and guiding principle of focusing on doing my own work and offering what I can instead of seeking the trappings of success that seem stronger and stronger as Instagram and other social media platforms keep us looking at less and less authentic images of feathered and sacred geometry bejeweled influencers.
In my studies, I’ve found that many of the mind control tactics used by cults and high control organizations are found not only in many religious organizations, but schools, multi-level marketing organizations, governmental agencies, and within many families.
Once it’s been buried into the psyche as a way of being, it’s hard to get it out, and it becomes a system of operation that replicates itself into how we do everything. Even if you KNOW WHAT THE SIGNS ARE, it is really difficult to turn the mirror on yourself – that’s the insidious control that cults exercise.
If you are part of a community (from family to business to religion to self-help/lifestyle group) where you feel like who you naturally are needs to be hidden, denied, annihilated, or even watered down to be accepted, then there are mind control influences at play. They may not be intentional – as I said, once we’ve been programmed, we will likely create from that system of thinking no matter how hard we try not to.
There are loads of helpful resources, books, articles out there to help you understand cults better, and I encourage you to do a really thorough self inventory from your nuclear family to your friendships and all the way through your work and other associations. It is very much a virus that has made its way into most of our lives.
Here are 10 signs to look for:
- Expectations to just believe without any observable results
- Any use of shame or guilt to motivate behavior
- Punishments for feeling or believing differently
- Pressure to defer your own inner wisdom to leaders
- Pressure to put yourself in a compromising or harmful situation to serve the organization
- Going from love-bombing to treating members as “less than”
- Creating environments that deprive and overwork the body, mind, and spirit over prolonged periods of time, especially followed by pressure to make commitments (donations, service, etc)
- Circular logic that never allows for clear answers
- Lack of transparency from leaders about finances, education, etc.
- Teaching that you need someone else to show you the way vs. encouraging you to build your confidence and be accountable for your own behavior and decisions (AND holding EVERYONE to that standard)
And if you do find that you are unable to express yourself authentically, and are held back by shame or other fears from mind control practices from religion or simply an authoritarian caretaker, reach out. We are familiar with the fears, pains, and challenges of leaving a high control religious group / cult.
We have attracted quite a few folks who were able to break free from cults and found Living Wisdom ceremonies to be a safe space to discover and honor their own values and inner wisdom and get some deep healing to the religious trauma they endured.
When you come to a ceremony with us, you are encouraged to follow your own inner guidance. Even in our medicine ceremonies, you are welcomed to ingest as much or as little (even nothing at all) as you want, and to simply use our preparation and integration practices as an inspiration for your own journey.
Our preparation is extensive and publicly available. We have hosted atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, and agnostics. We’ve hosted folks from all walks of life from all over the world. One of the most common things we hear is “I feel at home here.”
We know that belonging is one of the greatest human needs, and one of the greatest human wounds. We know this wounding has been used to take advantage of folks who simply want to be a part of something greater than themselves and to be loved. At Living Wisdom, we are in service to create the safe and sacred spaces for our diverse community to learn, heal, and grow together, and we pray to continue to do that for many years to come.
You’re invited to get on our mailing list (and get a valuable guide for working masterfully with Entheogens / plant medicine / psychedelics): https://LivingWisdomChurch.org . You’ll get updates about our monthly gatherings: Vegetarian Potlucks, Cacao + Sonic Medicine Sound Healing, and our day-long plant medicine ceremonies with Huachuma (aka San Pedro / mescaline) and Acacia and Syrian Rue (Ayahuasca analogue / DMT).
We’re passionate about providing extensive and valuable preparation and integration support so your spiritual journey (with or without Entheogens) is safe and in service to your unique gifts, wounds, and values.
