From One Cult To Another...

[Ursus]

Anyway... I return to my original premise for posting this material, namely:

Spending some time perusing ...crystallized some formerly vague notions I had re. what exactly the attraction to Ramtha and its ilk really held for some former Hyde students.

On the face of it, there would appear to be certain glaring inconsistencies with the Gauldian vision of life and that preached by Neo-Advaitan gurus now proliferating in the western world.  Gauld's hawkish right-wing sensibilities contrast rather glaringly with the stereotypical laid-back miasma of newage sewage.

I've gone 'round this bend several times before; each time seems to yield a bit more insight.

There is, of course, a veritable list of similarities, but two things jumped out at me this time ahead of the rest of the pack:

*  Guru/Hyde holds all the cards/calls the shots.
*  No critical thinking allowed.

My "rest of the pack" list includes:  the one-sided parameters set up by the guru/Hyde, the psychological self-dissection for the purpose of higher development, the peer pressure for strict conformity to the community norm, and the absolute squashing, even ridicule, of dissenting viewpoints...  Please feel free to point out anything I might have left out!

Why did Paul and Vanda seek to replicate certain conditions they had at Hyde?  Why not just return to Hyde?  

Were there perhaps lifestyle options or creature comforts in the newage format, that would not have been so available at Hyde?  Or was it merely a matter of mistaking simply new packaging for actual progress?

[Anonymous]

There is, of course, a veritable list of similarities, but two things jumped out at me this time ahead of the rest of the pack:

      * Guru/Hyde holds all the cards/calls the shots.
      * No critical thinking allowed.

My "rest of the pack" list includes: the one-sided parameters set up by the guru/Hyde, the psychological self-dissection for the purpose of higher development, the peer pressure for strict conformity to the community norm, and the absolute squashing, even ridicule, of dissenting viewpoints... Please feel free to point out anything I might have left out!

You forgot the group-specific language, which works to isolate the group even more from the "real" world.

[Anonymous]

There is, of course, a veritable list of similarities, but two things jumped out at me this time ahead of the rest of the pack:

      * Guru/Hyde holds all the cards/calls the shots.
      * No critical thinking allowed.

My "rest of the pack" list includes: the one-sided parameters set up by the guru/Hyde, the psychological self-dissection for the purpose of higher development, the peer pressure for strict conformity to the community norm, and the absolute squashing, even ridicule, of dissenting viewpoints... Please feel free to point out anything I might have left out!

You forgot the group-specific language, which works to isolate the group even more from the "real" world.

You mean the group-specific language that perverts the literal meaning of words.

[Anonymous]

Why did Paul and Vanda seek to replicate certain conditions they had at Hyde? Why not just return to Hyde?

  Hyde pays shit.  Ramtha travels back in time and brings Greenback dollars from Atlantis.  It is the Money channel.

[Ursus]

There is, of course, a veritable list of similarities, but two things jumped out at me this time ahead of the rest of the pack:

      * Guru/Hyde holds all the cards/calls the shots.
      * No critical thinking allowed.

My "rest of the pack" list includes: the one-sided parameters set up by the guru/Hyde, the psychological self-dissection for the purpose of higher development, the peer pressure for strict conformity to the community norm, and the absolute squashing, even ridicule, of dissenting viewpoints... Please feel free to point out anything I might have left out!

You forgot the group-specific language, which works to isolate the group even more from the "real" world.

You mean the group-specific language that perverts the literal meaning of words.

Hell, yeah!  And what an incredible intellectual disservice that is, to address but the most benign aspect of all that!  I thought Hyde was supposed to be a school, eh?  Guess not.

Yeah, don't know how I came to leave out the LINGO, of all things, ha ha haaa!

[Ursus]

Back to the original folks at the heart of this thread...

This from a Symposium on documentary distribution on Discovery-Campus, a company based in Germany which is focused on international documentary making, marketing, and distribution.

=========================

3rd Symposium 2006
« Getting It Out There
A Reality Check on Distribution

11:30-12:15
Case Study
GRASSROOTS MARKETING
"What the Bleep Do We Know"

· Pavel Mikoloski, Living The Field, London

What is the secret behind a low budget "pseudo" documentary feature that made over $10 million at the box office? In the US it sold out small theatres for months and was then launched into 60 theatres by Samuel Goldwyn Films. It has created an overwhelming buzz on the internet (not all positive). So what was the marketing genius behind getting "What the Bleep Do We Know" out there? Marketing director Pavel Mikoloski will explain how it was done from the ground up.

[Ursus]

His profile on ecademy - "connecting business people"

http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=206779
Pavel Mikoloski
Marketing Guru
Self
London
UK
UK       

Ecademy ID: 206779

[Ursus]

~~~ Vanda Mikoloski ~~~
"An irreverent romp down my spiritual path...
Stand-up comedy to usher in the emerging, new consciousness." [/list][/url]
What brought Vanda Mikoloski back into comedy, now 'Quantum Comedy' after teaching yoga for 9 years? The film "What The Bleep Do We Know," a suggestion by Elaine Hendrix (Jennifer in the film), Vanda's brother Pavel Mikoloski, and L.A. comic Rick Overton, who encouraged Vanda to develop an act of her own and when she balked, told her "But you're an elder. You've got to give back to the tribe now." Pivotal words for Vanda of whom Bill Maher, a former boyfriend from her days as a comedian in New York says: "Vanda is superbly smart and funny ... funny and smart ... both of those."

Vanda has appeared at the 'Bleep' conferences and is the warm-up act for the new "Rabbit Hole" version of the film as it premieres in major cities in the US and Canada. Wherever she plays, Vanda's intent, and her passion, is to accomplish more than make people laugh, she wants to make them think and wonder, about our nature, our divinity and duplicity. There's wisdom in her act, sugar-coated with laughter. Find Vanda's touring schedule, a video, stories, and more at www.vanda.us

Vanda requests YOUR collaboration! She has heard from many of our listeners and she too thinks you are cool! So send her your stories (Ha! In other words, she wants you to write her material ;-) Become a "Vandalite!" Listen to her latest program and write to her. Vanda's e-address  Send your experiences on the spiritual path! The magical, the ironical, the funny! Is there an episode that annoys you? Hear it re-told with Vanda's wit and humor and it will never bother you again... think of it as therapy!

[Ursus]

I LIKE Ms. Crankypants!   :rofl:

========================

Ms. Cranky Pants
mscrankypants.com | alice wang | misanthropes unite! uh, not.
What the Bleep Do We Know?[/url] This New Age claptrap propaganda piece twisted quantum theory, physics, religion, biology, addiction, and interviews with both scientists and freaks, interwove it with unsubstantiated and not peer-reviewed pseudo-scientific studies, candy coated it with this weird-ass partly-animated acid trip of a fictional story about a stressed-out photographer, and basically tried to prove that our reality is not real. Uh huh. I admit I'm a strong proponent of an existentialist philosophy that sometimes leaves me cold and hollow (not really), so maybe I have a bias toward what I perceive and what I deduce (cogito ergo sum), but even trying to keep an open mind for anything in this movie is too much. I'm just not a cult-prone, gullible fool.

This film was funded, directed, and written by folks from some Ramtha cult. Ramtha is a thirty-five thousand year old spirit from Atlantis and is channeled by this delusional chick, JZ Knight (of course she was born in Roswell, New Mexico. omg.) JZ features quite prominently in the movie, as expected since it's her movie. My favorite part of the whole ordeal was when Knight stated that we had advanced technological advances, like anti-gravity. Whoa! Don't we wish, dude! I would love to fly around in a Jetson's-style street levitation machine without the use of propellent or other noxious substances. Just fire up the magnetic coils and other physics doodads that don't exist and boom! I'm flying! I'm flying! Does anyone do any sort of fact-checking anymore?

And now there's a sequel, with the added tagline, "Down the Rabbit Hole" (yeah, of your ass!).

It's not "What the F*** Do We Know," it's just simply, what the fuck?

4 comments

Jackie said:
LUNAR new year? Your calendar and mine, baby!
MARYBETH[/b] said:
What THe BLeep was funded by the RAMTHA folks?? Are you sure??
Oh shit....I knew it was too entertaining to have been produced by anyone born prior to the development of the calendar!
Oh well....its back to the PBS channel.
MsCranky[/b] said:
Okay, here are some clarifications and their sources:
1) Ramtha is a 35,000 year old immortal God from the long-gone continent of Lemuria (lemurs are so darn cute!), who then went on to Atlantis
2) He is channelled through the body of JZ Knight so he can teach his philosophy in person
3) The press contact for the movie was a person named Pavel Mikoloski, who denied that the movie was funded by the Ramtha School
4) Pavel Mikoloski was also the spokesman for the Ramtha School
5) Supposedly Ramtha/JZ Knight hand-picked all of the "scientists" and experts for the film
6) All of the directors of the film are students of the Ramtha School
7) The production company, Lord of the Wind, LLC. is a reference to Ramtha's teachings
Lord of the Wind, LLC is located at Yelm, Washington, where the Ramtha School is located

More info here:
http://www.wweek.com/story.php?story=586..
http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2004/09..
JessicaVendo[/b] said:
Yes, I wish more people would do some fact finding about this cult. I live in Yelm, and have to say the community is very divided about Ramtha. Many members of the community have left their previous homes from out of state, or country for that matter, and moved here just to be close to the "compound" which is notabley surrounded by large brick structures, gates, and armed security ( no shit). Many of the members have gone into bankruptcy because it costs so damn much just to be apart of the RSE- about $1000 per class. JZ Knight also has her own boutique in town that sells very upscale merchandise thatI have no idea who could afford in this little town of 4500. Oh, ya, and her boutique also sells JZ Knights used clothes. Wow.
Reply to JessicaVendo's comment

[Ed Legg]

The press contact for the movie was a person named Pavel Mikoloski, who denied that the movie was funded by the Ramtha School

  I learned that boy pretty good.  It all depends on the definition of School.  The durn fools didn't as about the foundation.  Good job Paval!  Thats the way to dish the integrity boy.

Hugs

[Anonymous]

about 6-7 years ago, Paul told me he had become a filmmaker, and that he had made this film with some other people

[Anonymous]

Yeah, he said I do film stuff and I would for a school in Washington State. No lies there, just not full disclosure.  Every one has to make a living.  Proving circus for the wingnuts is a noble undertaking.  I just hope he is smart enough not to buy it himself.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, he said I do film stuff and I would for a school in Washington State. No lies there, just not full disclosure.  Every one has to make a living.  Proving circus for the wingnuts is a noble undertaking.  I just hope he is smart enough not to buy it himself.

Yeah, he said "I do film stuff and I work for a school in Washington State."  No lies there, just not full disclosure.  Every one has to make a living.  Providing circus for the wingnuts is a noble undertaking.  I just hope he is smart enough not to buy it himself


sorry 86 proofreader when down the rabbit whole.

[Anonymous]

no, he said either "i'm a filmmaker" or "i made a film" or "i'm a filmmaker now and this is our latest project"

he also said he was studying philosophy or religious studies, cant remember which

[Anonymous]

no, he said either "i'm a filmmaker" or "i made a film" or "i'm a filmmaker now and this is our latest project"

he also said he was studying philosophy or religious studies, cant remember which

   That is what he said to you.  I though perhaps he made the film this young man is reacting to:








http://cupchicks.com/

 I would not watch it if I were you!