The "Miracle Of Love" Is $$$

File under: Satscams and Gurus Clockin' Dollars

Today we came to know of the Miracle of Love, yet another wacky enlightenment cult based in Marin, California. Here's how it got started:

David Swanson, underwent a transformation in 1987, when an incarnation of God named Lord Gourasana took over his body and began speaking through him. Seidman, taking the name Kalindi, and a friend of theirs named Gayle—now known as “The Lady”—received his teachings and became “spiritual masters.” In 1995, the story goes, the energy emanating from Gourasana finally overwhelmed Swanson’s body and he died. That’s when Gourasana began speaking through Kalindi. The Lady rose to second in command. In the past year, a few more members of the inner circle have been elevated to “spiritual masters.”

It's got everything a Marin-based NewAge™er is looking for: incorporeal beings and a chance to get in on the ground-floor of another spiritual pyramid-scheme.

Like most "enlightenment" flimflammers, it's all about the money:

The handiest way to let go of their attachments to money is, of course, to donate it to the Miracle of Love mission. “A lot of people there are living paycheck to paycheck,” says Frank. “There are doctors and lawyers and CEOs who have no money. Over time, they’ve given away everything.”

But wait... there's a reward for those who fork over their cash:

Sex with multiple partners is preferable to marital fidelity, since the only exclusive relationship the devotee should have is with God. Devotees are encouraged to “step over their sexual boundaries” as a way of “breaking free.”

But of course, lockstep adherence to the commands of the leaders is mandatory:

Members who do question the leaders are told they’re succumbing to the illusion of the material world, they’re straying from the path to God. “They tell you that if you leave the path, horrible things will happen to you, like you’ll get brain cancer,” says a woman we’ll call Sheila, who left the group after three years. “Or you’ll suffer forever in infinite lifetimes or something crazy like that.”

We were told the same thing when we ditched the ashram back in '86. Some things never change.

It would appear that Kalindi has staked herself a money farm with 12 combines working at once. There's a lot of dollars in Marin, one of the richest and most beautiful communities in Northern Califoria. There's also a lot of unhappy people who are all in competition to reach spiritual perfection the quickest. It makes a very fertile field for a savvy satscammer who can act wacky enough to be believable as a spiritual leader in a place where folks will consult their local psychic just to figure out what to make for dinner.

Read the whole article, all-in-all a great exposé and dissection of cult dynamics in action.