Bretloth
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Posts posted by Bretloth
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That's an impressive cactus, cheers for the info and pics guys
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"The secondary effects of absinthe have been reported variously as a clearness of thought, increased creativity and speech, and minor hallucinogenic effects. These effects may be due to the effect thujone has on the Gaba-A receptors of the brain. By blocking these receptors, an absinthe drinker's brain is free to fire faster and more frequently." ~
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Nice start, welcome
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Shits and giggles
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Here's some of the similar plants out there for comparison.
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I was expecting something more along the lines of T. tacaquirensis (aka T. werdermannianus, T. taquimbalensis), and a little less like T. terscheckii (of which the flowers are a dead giveaway, even unopened).
~Michael~
T werd, Taquimbalensis are more chiloensis related as far as I can tell (i'm no expert mind you). Valida seems like an intermediatte between the tersheckii/werd complex and the san pedro complex to me, or atleast more that way aligned than the others in it's complex.
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Robert told he his father put it there 40 to 50 years ago when small to protect from frost one winter, and that's where she stayed. The only part of the shed that is still standing is this end supported by the cacti. It's an amazing site
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Had the pleasure of visiting Fields cactus farm today and thought i'd take some pics of one the more mysterious cacti. Mr Fields is an amazing man, very friendly and generous. Please do not steal from this good honest man. You'd be surprised how willing to sell cuts at the most reasonable prices in the country (by far), he is. This is probably my favorite cacti, just love this beast. Please don't ask me for a cut, will have some on offer at the end of autumn or next season. Enjoy
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LOL!
You seriously think that I came here to recruit followers? Is that why you've got your knickers in such an obscene tangle? You think that I've got my beady eyes on your soul? Did you even read the opening post?
You're not here reqruiting, right. Come off it..
Is this the best you can do? Seriously? Playing semantics, begging the question and a deliberate and dishonest confusion between two separate and distinct meanings of the word "cult" just so you can continue justifying your hate and rage?
Do you actually bother looking things up, or do you just repeat the same garbage across multiple threads because you hate admitting that you got something wrong? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult
Actually you trying to distant your cult from the word cult is deceptive. How you can imply hate and rage from typed words without the inflection of body language or tone is beyond me, and more likely an aspertion against my character based upon no evidence.
Perhaps. But perhaps, despite my continued misgivings, I have done my best to address the points that you've raised. In doing so, I apologise for assuming that you had a modicum of intelligence and my subsequent decision to use big words.
I know big words too, just don't pretend to be better than anyone else like you.
What kind of a Princess are you, that you can spend an entire thread lambasting the character of a complete stranger and then have the temerity to complain that they are attempting to character assassinate you? Please show me a single instance of where I have made any derogatory, or personally insulting remarks about you.
Is the leader of a new cults character not applicable to the cult, and discussing it? Never said you insulted me and it's not my fault you where insulted, stop projecting.
I don't need to say anything about you, or about your character. Everything we need to know pours forth like a torrent whenever you touch the keyboard.
One doesn't need to be Jesus to realise that "Ye shall know them by their fruits".
Here we go, that's another cult, get your own sayings. Well, you can check out my garden on this forum. I bet my garden produces far better fruit.
This is a very serious accusation. It is also a deliberate and blatant lie.
There are over 35,000 words on my website. Please show me any that are plagerised and the document from which you believe them to have been lifted.
How about for starters all the principles you spout here, you sure as shit didn't come up with them. Repacking other peoples work and claiming it as your own is disgusting to me, you should be ashamed. I've read all the books you have, you got nothing new. Not even even using drugs is new, that cult in japan with the sarin gasings loved lsd..
And while we are at your continued ongoing lying and misrepresentation, please show me once where I have claimed to be "enlightened". You won't be able to because once again this is simply another of the fevered imaginings that you have imposed upon me, rather than anything that I have ever said.
You claimed to be providing an enlightened way, for one to do that they would have to be enlightened, which you are obviously not. You're nothing special, or am I. You've read a bunch of books, had some ecstactic experiences, are most likely deeply insecure and need to build this cult for your own ego's need. No one needs this cult except you it seems.
What follows below are characteristics of a cult leader. These are given so that the reader may understand what to look for in patterns of cult leadership. The text was excerpted from chapter five of Captive Hearts Captive Minds by Madeline Landau Tobias and Janja Lalich pp. 67-79, and is reprinted without permission of the author.
Psychopathy and the Characteristics of a Cult Leader
In general, charismatic personalities are known for their inescapable magnetism, their winning style, the self assurance with which they promote something, a cause, a belief, a product. A charismatic person who offers hope of new beginnings often attracts attention and a following. Over the years we have witnessed the likes of this in Dale Carnegie, Werner Erhard (founder of est, now the Forum), John Hanley (founder of Lifespring), Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi, Shirley MacLaine, John Bradshaw, Marianne Williamson, Ramtha channeler J. Z. Knight, and a rash of Amway "executives," weight loss program promoters and body building gurus.
One dictionary definition of charisma is "a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader or military commander); a special magnetic charm, or appeal." (5) Charisma was studied in depth by the German sociologist Max Weber, who defined it as "an exceptional quality in an individual who, through appearing to possess supernatural, providential or extraordinary powers, succeeds in gathering disciples around him."(6)
Weber's charismatic leader was "a sorcerer with an innovative aura and a personal magnetic gift, [who] promoted a specific doctrine....[and was] concerned with himself rather than involved with others....[He] held an exceptional type of power: it set aside the usage's of normal political life and assumed instead those of demagoguery, dictatorship, or revolution, [which induced] men's whole hearted devotion to the charismatic individual through a blind and fanatical trust and an unrestrained and uncritical faith."(7)
In the case of cults, of course, we know that this induction of whole hearted devotion does not happen spontaneously but is the result of the cult leader's skillful use of thought-reform techniques. Charisma on it's own is not evil and does nor necessarily breed a cult leader. Charisma is, however, a powerful and awesome attribute found in many cult leaders who use it in ways that are both self-serving and destructive to others. The combination of charisma and psychopathy is a Lethal mixture - perhaps it is the very recipe used at the Cookie-cutter Messiah School!
For the cult leader, having charisma is perhaps most useful during the stage of cult formation. It takes a strong-willed and persuasive leader to convince people of a new belief, then gather the newly converted around him as devoted followers. A misinterpretation of the cult leader's personal charisma may also foster his followers' belief in his special or messianic qualities.
So we see that charisma is indeed a desirable trait for someone who wishes to attract a following. However, like beauty, charisma is in the eye of the beholder. Mary, for example, may be completely taken with a particular seminar leader, practically swooning at his every word, while her friend Susie doesn't feel the slightest tingle. Certainly at the time a person is under the sway of charisma the effect is very real. Yet, in reality, charisma does nothing more than create a certain worshipful reaction to an idealized figure in the mind of the one who is smitten.
In the long run, skills of persuasion (which may or may not be charismatic) are more important to the cult leader than charisma - for the power and hold of cults depend on the particular environment shaped by the thought-reform program and control mechanisms, all of which are usually conceptualized and put in place by the leader. Thus it is the psychopathology of the leader, not his charisma, that causes the systematic manipulative abuse and exploitation found in cults.
The Cult Leader as Psychopath
Cultic groups and relationships are formed primarily to meet specific emotional needs of the leader, many of whom suffer from one or another emotional or character disorder. Few, if any, cult leaders subject themselves to the psychological tests or prolonged clinical interviews that allow for an accurate diagnosis. However, researchers and clinicians who have observed these individuals describe them variously as neurotic, psychotic, on a spectrum exhibiting neurotic, sociopathic, and psychotic characteristics, or suffering from a diagnosed personality disorder.
It is not our intent here to make an overarching diagnosis, nor do we intend to imply that all cult leaders or the leaders of any of the groups mentioned here are psychopaths. In reviewing the data, however, we can surmise that there is significant psychological dysfunctioning in some cult leaders and that their behavior demonstrates features rather consistent with the disorder known as psychopathy.
Dr. Robert Hare, one of the world's foremost experts in the field, estimates that there are at least two million psychopaths in North America. He writes, "Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret."
Psychopathy falls within the section on personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard source book used in making psychiatric evaluations and diagnoses. In the draft version of the manual's 4th edition (to be released Spring 1994), this disorder is listed as "personality disorder not otherwise specified/ Cleckley-type psychopath," named after psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley who carried out the first major studies of psychopaths. The combination of personality and behavioral traits that allows for this diagnosis must be evident in the person's history, not simply apparent during a particular episode. That is, psychopathy is a long-term personality disorder. The term psychopath is often used interchangeably with sociopath, or sociopathic personality. Because it is more commonly recognized, we use the term psychopath here.
Personality disorders, as a diagnosis, relate to certain inflexible and maladaptive behaviors and traits that cause a person to have significantly impaired social or occupational functioning. Signs of this are often first manifested in childhood and adolescence, and are expressed through distorted patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself. In simple terms this means that something is amiss, awry, not quite right in the person, and this creates problems in how he or she relates to the rest of the world.
The psychopathic personality is sometimes confused with the "antisocial personality," another disorder; however, the psychopath exhibits more extreme behavior than the antisocial personality. The antisocial personality is identified by a mix of antisocial and criminal behaviors--he is the common criminal. The psychopath, on the other hand, is characterized by a mix of criminal and socially deviant behavior.
Psychopathy is not the same as psychosis either. The latter is characterized by an inability to differentiate what is real from what is imagined boundaries between self and others are lost, and critical thinking is greatly impaired. While generally not psychotic, cult leaders may experience psychotic episodes, which may lead to the destruction of themselves or the group. An extreme example of this is the mass murder-suicide that occurred in November 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana, at the People's Temple led by Jim Jones. On his orders, over 900 men, women, and children perished as Jones deteriorated into what was probably a paranoid psychosis. The psychopathic personality has been well described by Hervey Cleckley in his classic work, The "Mask of Sanity", first published in 1941 and updated and reissued in 1982. Cleckley is perhaps best known for his "The Three Faces of Eve", a book and later a popular movie on multiple personality. Cleckley also gave the world a detailed study of the personality and behavior of the psychopath, listing 16 characteristics to be used in evaluating and treating psychopaths. Cleckley's work greatly influenced 20 years of research carried out by Robert Hare at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In his work developing reliable and valid procedures for assessing psychopathy, Hare made several revisions in Cleckley's list of traits and finally settled on a 20-item Psychopathy Checklist. Later in this chapter we will use an adaptation of both the Cleckley and Hare checklists to examine the profile of a cult leader.
Neuropsychiatrist Richard M. Restak stated, "At the heart of the diagnosis of psychopathy was the recognition that a person could appear normal and yet close observation would reveal the personality to be irrational or even violent". Indeed, initially most psychopaths appear quite normal. They present themselves to us as charming, interesting, even humble. The majority "don't suffer from delusions, hallucinations, or memory impairment, their contract with reality appears solid." Some, on the other hand, may demonstrate marked paranoia and megalomania. In one clinical study of psychopathic inpatients, the authors wrote "We found that our psychopaths were similar to normals (in the reference group) with regard to their capacity to experience external events as real and with regard to their sense of bodily reality. They generally had good memory, concentration, attention, and language function. They had a high barrier against external, aversive stimulation....In some ways they clearly resemble normal people and can thus 'pass' as reasonably normal or sane. Yet we found them to be extremely primitive in other ways, even more primitive than frankly schizophrenic patients. In some ways their thinking was sane and reasonable, but in others it was psychotically inefficient and/or convoluted."
Another researcher described psychopaths in this way These people are impulsive, unable to tolerate frustration and delay, and have problems with trusting. They take a paranoid position or externalize their emotional experience. They have little ability to form a working alliance and a poor capacity for self-observation. Their anger is frightening. Frequently they take flight. Their relations with others are highly problematic. When close to another person they fear engulfment or fusion or loss of self. At the same time, paradoxically, they desire closeness; frustration of their entitled wishes to be nourished, cared for, and assisted often leads to rage. They are capable of a child's primitive fury enacted with an adult's physical capabilities, and action is always in the offing." Ultimately, "the psychopath must have what he wants, no matter what the cost to those in his way."
The Master Manipulator
Let us look for a moment at how some of this manifests in the cult leader. Cult leaders have an outstanding ability to charm and win over followers. They beguile and seduce. They enter a room and garner all the attention. They command the utmost respect and obedience. These are "individuals whose narcissism is so extreme and grandiose that they exist in a land of splendid isolation in which the creation of the grandiose self takes precedence over legal, moral or interpersonal commitments."
Paranoia may be evident in simple or elaborate delusions of persecution. Highly suspicious, they may feel conspired against, spied upon or cheated, or maligned by a person, group, or governmental agency. Any real or suspected unfavorable reaction may be interpreted as a deliberate attack upon them or the group. (Considering the criminal nature of some groups and the and social behavior of others, some of these fears may have more of a basis in reality than delusion!) Harder to evaluate, of course, is whether these leaders' belief in their magical powers, omnipotence, and connection to God (or whatever higher power or belief system they are espousing) is delusional or simply part of the con. Megalomania--the belief that one is able or entitled to rule the world--is equally hard to evaluate without psychological testing of the individual, although numerous cult leaders state quite readily that their goal is to rule the world. In any case, beneath the surface gloss of intelligence, charm, and professed humility seethes an inner world of rage, depression, and fear.
Two writers on the subject used the label 'Trust Bandit' to describe the psychopathic personality. Trust Bandit is indeed an apt description of this thief of our hearts, souls, minds, bodies, and pocketbooks. Since a significant percentage of current and former cult members have been in more than one cultic group or relationship, learning to recognize the personality style of the Trust Bandit can be a useful antidote to further abuse.
The Profile of a Psychopath
In reading the profile, bear in mind the three characteristics that Robert Lifton sees as common to a cultic situation
1. A charismatic leader who...increasingly becomes the object of worship
2. A series of processes that can be associated with "coercive persuasion" or "thought reform"
3. The tendency toward manipulation from above...with exploitation-economic, sexual, or other--of often genuine seekers who bring idealism from below
Based on the psychopathy checklists of Hervey Cleckley and Robert Hare, we now explore certain traits that are particularly pertinent to cult leaders. The fifteen characteristics outlined below list features commonly found in those who become perpetrators of psychological and physical abuse. In the discussion we use the nomenclature "psychopath" and "cult leader" interchangeably. To illustrate these points, a case study of Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh follows this section.
We are not suggesting that all cult leaders are psychopaths but rather that they may exhibit many of the behavioral characteristics of one. We are also not proposing that you use this checklist to make a diagnosis, which is something only a trained professional can do. We present the checklist as a tool to help you label and demystify traits you may have noticed in your leader.
1.Glibness/Superficial charm
Glibness is a hallmark of psychopaths. They are able to use language effortlessly to beguile, confuse, and convince. They are captivating storytellers. They exude self-confidence and are able to spin a web that intrigues others and pulls them into the psychopath's life. Most of all, they are persuasive. Frequently they have the capacity to destroy their critics verbally or disarm them emotionally.
2.Manipulative and Conning
Cult leaders do not recognize the individuality or rights of others, which makes all self-serving behaviors permissible. The hallmark of the psychopath is the psychopathic maneuver; which is essentially interpersonal manipulation "based on charm. The manipulator appears to be helpful, charming, even ingratiating or seductive, but is covertly hostile, domineering....[The victim] is perceived as an aggressor, competitor, or merely as an instrument to be used....The manipulation inevitably becomes the end-all and is no longer qualified by the reality principle." In other words, there are no checks on the psychopath's behavior--anything goes. The Psychopath divides the world into suckers, sinners, and himself. He discharges powerful feelings of terror and rage by dominating and humiliating his victims. He is particularly successful when, through an overlay of charm, he makes an ally of his victim--a process sometimes described as emotional vampirism or emotional terrorism. Examples of this type of manipulation are plentiful in the literature of Jonestown and other cultic groups. It is especially prevalent in the one-on-one cultic relationship, where there is direct involvement with the manipulator.
3. Grandiose Sense of Self
The cult leader enjoys tremendous feelings of entitlement. He believes everything is owed to him as a right. Preoccupied with his own fantasies, he must always be the center of attention. He presents himself as the "Ultimate One" enlightened, a vehicle of God, a genius, the leader of humankind, and sometimes even the most humble of humble. He has an insatiable need for adulation and attendance. His grandiosity may also be a defense against inner emptiness, depression, and a sense of insignificance. Paranoia often accompanies the grandiosity, reinforcing the isolation of the group and the need for protection against a perceived hostile environment. In this way, he creates an us-versus-them mentality.
4.Pathological Lying
Psychopaths lie coolly and easily, even when it is obvious they are being untruthful. It is almost impossible for them to be consistently truthful about either a major or minor issue. They lie for no apparent reason, even when it would seem easier and safer to tell the truth. This is sometimes called "crazy lying." Confronting their lies may provoke an unpredictably incense rage or simply a Buddha-like smile.
Another form of lying common among cult leaders is known as pseudologica fantastica, an extension of pathological lying. Leaders tend to create a complex belief system, often about their own powers and abilities, in which they themselves sometimes get caught up. "It is often difficult to determine whether the lies are an actual delusional distortion of reality or are expressed with the conscious or unconscious intent to deceive. These manipulators are rarely original thinkers. Plagiarists and thieves, they seldom credit the true originators of ideas, often co-opting authorship. They are extremely convincing, forceful in the expression of their views, and talented at passing lie detector tests. For them, objective truth does not exist. The only "truth" is whatever will best achieve the outcome that meets their needs. This type of opportunism is very difficult to understand for those who are not psychopaths. For this reason, followers are more apt to invent or go along with all kinds of explanations and rationales for apparent inconsistencies in behavior "I know my guru must have had a good reason for doing this." "He did it because he loves me even though it hurts."
5. Lack of Remorse, Shame, or Guilt
At the core of the psychopath is a deep-seated rage which is split off (i.e, psychologically separated from the rest of the self) and repressed. Some researchers theorize that this is caused by feeling abandoned in infancy or early childhood. Whatever the emotional or psychological source, psychopaths see those around them as objects, targets, or opportunities, not as people. They do not have friends, they have victims and accomplices-and the latter frequently end as victims. For psychopaths, the ends always justify the means. Thus there is no place for feelings of remorse, shame, or guilt. Cult leaders feel justified in all their actions since they consider themselves the ultimate moral arbiter. Nothing gets in their way.
6. Shallow Emotions
While they may display outbursts of emotion, more often than not they are putting on a calculated response to obtain a certain result. They rarely reveal a range of emotions, and what is seen is superficial at best, pretended at worst. Positive feelings of warmth, joy, love, and compassion are more feigned than experienced. They are unmoved by things that would upset the normal person, while outraged by insignificant matters. They are bystanders to the emotional life of others, perhaps envious and scornful of feelings they cannot have or understand. In the end, psychopaths are cold, with shallow emotions, living in a dark world of their own.
Hiding behind the "mask of sanity," the cult leader exposes feelings only insofar as they serve an ulterior motive. He can witness or order acts of utter brutality without experiencing a shred of emotion. He casts himself in a role of total control, which he plays to the hilt. What is most promised in cults--peace, joy, enlightenment, love, and security are goals that are forever out of reach of the leader, and thus also the followers. Since the leader is not genuine, neither are his promises
7. Incapacity for Love
As the "living embodiment of God's love," the leader is tragically flawed in being unable to either give or receive love. Love substitutes are given instead. A typical example might be the guru's claim that his illness or misfortune (otherwise inconsistent with his enlightened state) is caused by the depth of his compassion for his followers, whereby he takes on their negative karma. Not only are devotees supposed to accept this as proof of his love but also are expected to feel guilt for their failings! It becomes impossible for members to disprove this claim once they have accepted the beliefs of the group.
The leader's tremendous need to be loved is accompanyied by an equally strong disbelief in the love offered him by his followers; hence, the often unspeakably cruel and harsh testing of his devotees. Unconditional surrender is an absolute requirement. In one cult, for example, the mother of two small children was made to tell them nightly that she loved her leader more than them. Later, as a test of her devotion, she was asked to give up custody of her children in order to be allowed to stay with her leader. The guru's love is never tested; it must be accepted at face value.
8. Need for Stimulation
Thrill-seeking behaviors, often skirting the letter or spirit of the law, are common among psychopaths. Such behavior is sometimes justified as preparation for martyrdom "I know I don't have long to live; therefore my time on this earth must be lived to the fullest." "Surely even I am entitled to have fun or sin a little." This type of behavior becomes more frequent as the leader deteriorates emotionally and psychologically--a common occurrence.
Cult leaders live on the edge, constantly testing the beliefs of their followers, often with increasingly bizarre behaviors, punishments, and rules. Other mechanisms of stimulation come in the form of unexpected, seemingly spontaneous outbursts, which usually take the form of verbal abuse and sometimes physical punishment. The psychopath has a cool indifference to things around him, yet his icy coldness can quicky turn into rage, vented on those around him.
9. Callousness/lack of empathy
Psychopaths readily take advantage of others, expressing utter contempt for anyone else's feelings. Someone in distress is not important to them. Although intelligent, perceptive, and quite good at sizing people up, they make no real connections with others. They use their "people skills" to exploit, abuse, and wield power.
Psychopaths are unable to empathize with the pain of their victims. Meanwhile, part of the victims' denial system is the inability to believe that someone they love so much could consciously and callously hurt them. It therefore becomes easier to rationalize the leader's behavior as necessary for the general or individual "good." The alternative for the devotee would be to face the sudden and overwhelming awareness of being victimized, deceived, used. Such a realization would wound the person's deepest sense of self, so as a means of self-protection the person denies the abuse. When and if the devotee becomes aware of the exploitation, it feels as though a tremendous evil has been done, a spiritual rape.
10 . Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Like small children, many psychopaths have difficulty regulating their emotions. Adults who have temper tantrums are frightening to be around. Rage and abuse, alternating with token expressions of love and approval, produce an addictive cycle for both abuser and abused, as well as create a sense of hopelessness in the latter. This dynamic has also been recognized in relation to domestic abuse and the battering of women. The cult leader acts out with some regularity--often privately, sometimes publicly--usually to the embarrassment and dismay of his followers and other observers. He may act out sexually, aggressively, or criminally, frequently with rage. Who could possibly control someone who believes himself to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and entitled to every wish, someone who has no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for the impact on those around him? Generally this aberrant behavior is a well-kept secret, known only to a few disciples. The others only see perfection. These tendencies are related to the psychopath's need for stimulation and inability to tolerate frustration, anxiety, and depression. Often a leader's inconsistent behavior needs to be rationalized by either the leader or the follower in order to maintain internal consistency. It is often regarded as divinely inspired and further separates the empowered from the powerless.
11. Early Behavior Problems/juvenile delinquency
Psychopaths frequently have a history of behavioral and academic difficulties. They often "get by" academically, conning other students and teachers. Encounters with juvenile authorities are frequent. Equally prevalent are difficulties in peer relationships and developing and keeping friends, marked control problems, and other aberrant behaviors such as stealing, fire setting, and cruelty to others.
12. Irresponsibility/Unreliability
Not concerned about the consequences of their behavior, psychopaths leave behind them the wreckage of others' lives and dreams. They may be totally oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they inflict on others, something which they regard as neither their problem nor their responsibility.
Psychopaths rarely accept blame for their failures or mistakes. Scape goating is common, blaming followers, those outside the group, a member's family, the government, Satan--anyone and everyone but the leader. The blaming may follow a ritualized procedure such as a trial, "hot seat" denunciation, or public confession (either one-on-one or in front of the group). Blame is a powerful reinforcer of passivity and obedience, producing guilt, shame, terror, and conformity in the followers.
13. Promiscuous Sexual behavior/infidelity
Promiscuity, child sexual abuse, polygamy, rape, and sexual acting out of all sorts are frequently practiced by cult leaders. Conversely, there is often stringent sexual control of the followers through such tactics as enforced celibacy, arranged marriages, forced breakups and divorces, removal of children from their parents, forced abortions or mandated births. For psychopaths, sex is primarily a control and power issue.
Along with this behavior comes vast irresponsibility not only for the followers' emotions but also for their lives. In one cult, for example, multiple sexual relations were encouraged even while one of the top leaders was known to be HIV positive. This kind of negligence toward others is not uncommon in the psychopath's world.
Marital fidelity is rare in the psychopath's life. There are usually countless reports of extramarital affairs and sexual predation upon adult and child members of both sexes. The sexual behavior of the leader may be kept hidden from all but the inner circle or may be part of accepted group sexual practices. In any case, due to the power imbalance between leader and followers, sexual contact is never truly consensual and is likely to have damaging consequences for the follower.
14. Lack of realistic life plan/parasitic lifestyle
The psychopath tends to move around a lot, making countless efforts at "starting over while seeking out Fertile new ground to exploit. One day he may appear as a rock musician, the next a messiah; one day a used car salesman, the next the founder of a mass self-transformation program; one day a college professor, the next the new "Lenin" bringing revolution to America.
The flip side of this erratic life planning is the all-encompassing promise for the future that the cult leader makes to his followers. Many groups claim as their goal world domination or salvation at the Apocalypse. The leader is the first to proclaim the utopian nature of the group, which is usually simply another justification for irrational behavior and stringent controls.
The leader's sense of entitlement is often demonstrated by the contrast between his luxurious lifestyle and the impoverishment of his followers. Most cult leaders arc supported by gifts and donations from their followers, who may be pressured to turn over much of their income and worldly possessions to the group. Slavery, enforced prostitution, and a variety of illegal acts for the benefit of the leader are common in a cult milieu. This type of exploitation aptly demonstrates Lifton's third point of idealization from below and exploitation from above.
Psychopaths also tend to be preoccupied with their own health while remaining totally indifferent to the suffering of others. They may complain of being "burned out" due to the burden of "caring for" their followers, sometimes stating they do not have long to live, instilling fear and guilt in their devotees and encouraging further servitude. they are highly sensitive to their own pain and tend to be hypochondriacs, which often conflicts with their public image of superhuman self-control and healing abilities.
According to them, the illnesses they don't get are due to their powers, while the ones they do get are caused by their "compassion" in taking on their disciples' karma or solving the group's problems. This of course is another guru trick.
15. Criminal or entrepreneurial versatility
Cult leaders change their image and that of the group as needed to avoid prosecution and litigation, to increase income, and to recruit a range of members. Cult leaders have an innate ability to attract followers who have the skills and connections that the leaders lack. The longevity of the group is dependent on the willingness of leadership to adapt as needed and preserve the group. Frequently, when illegal or immoral activities are exposed to the public, the cult leader will relocate, sometimes taking followers with him. He will keep a low profile, only to resurface later with a new name, a new front group, and perhaps a new twist on the scam.
5. Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. "charisma"
6. Max Weber, The Sociology of Religion (Boston, Beacon Press 1963)
7. Schiffer
But you're different from all the others right lol..
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Vic market has cacti
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For a start you don't have a community, that's why you're here. You assume much. Baseless assertions? How so? You say you are starting a religeon, a religeon is a cult, you are the leader as you claim, therefore you are a cult leader, or wannabe cult leader more correctly. Cult leader various studies have shown are generally insecure and or psychopathic. You write paragraphs of drivel which a sentence would have covered. You try to make it about me when the discussion is you, and your cult you are trying to start. Typically deceptive of you from what I have seen here. I judge you on what you write, nothing more. Are we not to question and think for our selves? How is that about anything but the facts? Attempting to character assasinatte people who question is also a typical cult tactic. I'm just informed about your type, not angry at all. Why would I be? I wont be joining dont worry about that. Dont need some self important holier than thou wannabe cult leader telling me what to do lol..
One other thing I find amusing, if you are this enlightened leader, how come everything you preach is plagerized? Do you have anything original?
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Cheers Michael! So I guess it's safe to say it's not pc, albiet pc aligned. Got this info off the owner of FF ~ "Is ex fremantle community gardens 2001, which is ex a guy called Etienne, who had it for 12 years. He'd gotten it from South australia from and old lady who said she'd gotten them from a collector who got it from south america", bit of a mystery, doubt I'll be able to track down any more info as "Etienne" is now dead I believe. Here's some more pics showing the different aspects.
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I've got it in the ground now, that pic is from about a year ago. Grows fat stems. Just starting to put on alot of growth now with the warmer weather, perking up again nicely. Is rather frost tolerant, only had a few, but survived them fine outside, died back but pulled through. Is in a protected spot between two trees now, well shaded all day. Has plenty of space so should be going nutz soon. Will give it another go this season, see what happens.
P.S; Would be happy to donate a bunch of herbage to anyone who kicks ass at extractions and wants to give it a go, see what a 20 X does. Let me know.
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I picked up a coleus kong from bunnings a while back, seems to be a cultivation product of blumei. Tried smoking some and did something, probably placebo but seemed to enhance colour appreciattion, but that was it. Anyone else worked with this plant?
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Cheers for the replies guys! Much appreciatted. The long spines are best depicted in the last pic for those looking. It seems to have aspects of both pc and actual pach, but also seems something different. I don't know. Enjoyable mental masterbation none the less lol. I'll take more pics tommorrow showing the different aspects on the plant, morphs a bit. Would be nice to get to the bottom of it.
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So fuckin cool! Thanks for taking the time
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I'm not christian so I don't celebrate christ mass, but each to their own. Instead my girl and I invented a new holy day that reflects our personal beliefs to celebrate at that time ~ Mushroomass! A bit of a nod to the shamanic origins and a celebration of the divine mushrooms
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Got a Pachanoi "Etienne" that i've had for a few years which comes from the Fremantle public gardens via Funky Fungus, and is supposed to be 'probably' the ordinary pc pach according to the owner of Funky Fungus. Not sure myself, but anyway looks to be a good match for the typical short spined pach getting around but now the older growth has started producing long spines. According to Britton and Roses description of pachanoi "spines often wanting, when present few, 3 to 7, unequal, the longest 1 to 2 cm. long, dark yellow to brown" it seems a good match to me. And the bloody thing has never flowered, never flowered for the owner of FF either and I believe pc flowers readily? Would love to hear peoples thoughts on if this pach is pc or whether it's bonifide pach. Cheers
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I'd say cacti too, especially being in Melbs. Could of course grow sacred lotus http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21656&view=findpost&p=223171&hl=lotus&fromsearch=1, nice aquatic plant that has a history of human ceremonial use
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I've seen up close and personal what cults do to people, they all claim high and lofty ideals but the reality is so very different. Wake the fuck up. Metaphysical used car sales man deserve nothing but derision..
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Damnit, I was really hoping the magic rainbow unicorns where going channel the great and holy hyperion master of the pleadies galactic federation of love and light, giving us the secret keys of ascension. Oh well, maybe next made up apocalyptic scenario preying on the ancient fear of the sky falling.
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"What I actually said was "In making the Spiritual Principle a core part of Community, I am seeking to cement in place the philosophy that religious, spiritual and philosophical difference is the norm and is to be celebrated and enjoyed, not condemned and rejected."
So you object to my wanting to cement a philosophy of tolerance and openness, where difference is "celebrated and enjoyed"? You would rather see the spirit of the Enlightenment crushed underfoot in a world where difference is "condemned and rejected".
So you object to me wanting to "cement in place" a Religious Philosophy that says that nothing can ever be cemented in place? I'm surprised that the irony doesn't make your brain explode..."
LOL! Here we go, now Greg, dont go putting words in my mouth, that is very deceptive... All I said is that you want to cement in place a philosophy as you yourself state, and that no matter what that philosophy is, when cemented in place it is a written in stone law. Even if the law is to have no law, it's still a law. You cannot have laws and then say we have the freedom to find our own path, if you have cemented in place laws in your group joining would require submission to them, which is really not finding our own path after all, it's joining yours. No matter how delibrately ambiguous that path is, it is still the one you started, and would wield great power and control over.
Giving people the freedom to believe and practice their beliefs as they wish requires no group structure or leader. Freedom to find our own path requires no group structure or leader. Practicing tolerance requires no group structure or leader. Nothing you preach requires a group structure or leader.
Some peoples egos require a group structure to be the leader of for power and control, generally because of deep set feelings of insecurity and or psychopathic tendencies.
"But far too often they believe that their path is the one true path and that all others should adhere to it. Just because someone is on their own path, it doesn't mean that they are tolerant of others. They confuse certitude with certainty and tragic consequences often result." So controlling people in a group, forcing them to be tolerant with cemented in place laws, is itself a tolerant attitude?
A truly tolerant attitude would be to believe what you want, allow others to do the same and not start a cult, which by it's very nature has the inherent risk of creating intolerance, intolerance of others not in the group and intolerance of anything not approved by the group, the list goes on... I know you claim to be tolerant, and tolerance as a tenet of your religeon, and that's great on paper. Like our constitution, lots of great stuff written down, in practice, well we see how that goes don't we. I doubt any cult/religeon power structure ( and that is what is really is, and always has and will be, a power structure ) even with a constitution or tenets supposedly protecting individual rights, would ever work that way in reality. Sure as shit hasn't yet, I see nothing different here to dissuade me.
I know you like to keep it all vague and ambiguous, spin things around but you cannot run from the fact that starting a cult/religeon is always about the leader, and never about the leaders message. That's just the candy to suck in vulnerable minds. Your entire message requires no group or leader, which leads me to believe that your message is not your true intent, the power structure that a religeon is no matter how losely defined, is your intent. You have made no reasnoble arguement justifying the need for your group, or you to lead it, just for your message which needs niether.
I have no doubt you will reply spouting more of your message which is not the point, i'm not against your message. The point is you want to start a religeon, a cult. Which no matter its tenets will afford you great control and influence over any and all who join. And when there is no need for the group or leader in your own tenets, the great control and influence over any all who join would be through a process of elimination the only remaining intent, unless you are just bat shit fucking crazy. In my honest opinion.
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Profile of a cult leader ~ By Peter A Olsson M.D. Author of Malignant Pied Pipers of Our Time.
With the advent of easy computer access, and online communications, people from all walks of life and all over the world have been brought together in an unprecedented-before-in-human-history forum to exchange information, ideas and beliefs. There have been many wonderful benefits and opportunities for people from all different backgrounds and walks of life to share and grow. There are extensive online fellowships and discussion groups, nowhere more proliferate than among the religious community. This has resulted in some fresh exchange of ideas and comparing of interpretations of scriptures that has generated an enlightening unprecedented since the first-century assembly. This is to be greatly respected.
There is a dark side to the internet fellowship however. Especially among religious fellowships, due to the scriptural injunctions to love sacrificially, be forgiving and giving and mutually submit to each other, there has been a distressing tendency for internet ministries to arise that couch their agendas in such flowery and loving prose, and such profoundly esoteric interpretations of scripture that the propensities for spiritual abuse are often very subtle and difficult to see on the surface. When we think of cults and spiritual abuse, we tend to think of groups like the Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate, and Jim Jones, and they were some dramatic examples. They were easy to spot and their errors easy to discern. What is happening in many cases now, however; is far more subtle, and, emotionally at least-far more dangerous. For you see, there are groups now that take scripture and use it as a weapon to destroy their victims’ ability to discern what is true and right, using guilt, fear and manipulation/intimidation so subtly and couched in such religious terms, that one can fall prey to the dogma almost before one knows it. And the red flags that come up in the early relationship with such a spiritually abusive leader are explained away, very plausibly it seems, with a glib tossing out of scripture verses and personal revelations.
The purpose of this article is not to point at any one group, but rather to point to distinguishing characteristics of such groups, focusing on the leaders. It is a truism, that a cultic group will have one charismatic leader, only one, and while that one may claim accountability to a governing body of some sort, most often, when that governing body is examined, it is a small group of people under the direct control of the group leader. This is not possible to determine on the internet. Only with personal knowledge can one really ever know the reality of the configuration of any online ministry. It is not difficult for a tiny group with a handful of people to be presented as a world-wide organization with congregations all over the place, on the basis of internet communication. I will state one thing emphatically. A group leader who cannot establish or state objectively and publicly who he is accountable to is very likely a controlling leader with strong cultic tendencies. The rest of this essay will be to list and illuminate some common characteristics of cultic type leaders as pertains particularly to religious groups.
1) Personal charm and ability to use language and words with consummate skill to sway others to one’s own dogma. The potentially cultic leader is most usually a master at word usage, usually highly intelligent, often highly educated. He can manipulate words and contexts with such skill that the listener is either so confused by his rhetoric that he feels he must be the one who is deficient, or he can explain away contradictory behaviors or ideas so convincingly that one wonders why one ever doubted. He can turn a phrase to the degree that he can deliver a blistering and invalidating reprimand, and make the victim feel like it is done in genuine love and concern for the well-being of the victim. Word and language usage is the PRIMARY tool of the cultic leader, the goal being to emotionally and verbally destroy any critic that cannot be swayed to his way of thinking.
2) Emotionally manipulative. While appearing to be sacrificial and loving, a cultic leader will manipulate the emotions of the victim to the place where anything he does or says is warranted and acceptable. Domination and humiliation are the goals of this manipulative behavior. The emotionally manipulative leader strives to control his victims’ emotional responses to his behavior and pronouncements, usually with the induction of guilt. In many religious leaders, this guilt induction and fear is almost always couched in the threat of loss of favor with Yahweh. Such leaders have no compunction about manipulating the dissident or questioning group member into believing that their salvation is at stake if they do not obey them in particular. By implying; that if you do not honor them, your salvation and standing with Yahweh is at stake. This is the stock in trade of the cult leader, guilt if you question, and threat of loss of salvation.
3) The cultic leader has an inflated and grandiose sense of self. He styles himself a prophet and apostle, Messiah’s personal representative on earth, a ruler of grand proportions. They may claim humility and a servant’s heart, but you will find most of their rhetoric obsessively concentrating on their own personal obtaining and maintenance of power and authority. Again, in religious abusive groups, the leaders tend to have a vision of being grand rulers and kings in the Resurrection, and desire, more than anything, to begin that totality in this life. They genuinely feel they are entitled to adoration and total obedience and control of all those in their sphere. The histrionics are obvious with these stereotypical leaders. If they can't have their way they throw an absolute temper tantrum until they get their way.
4) Most cultic leaders have a tendency toward pathological lying. This is so unpleasant that many times, they completely convince themselves of their own lies. They can create and completely buy into a belief system about their own powers and abilities and an unusual phenomenon particular to the internet is the development of whole fictitious personas in the guise of online security. Now, I am not talking about pseudonyms and the guarding of physical location and personal details. One leader of an online ministry has developed fictitious personas complete with personal biographies and histories and plays the characters out as though they were real when presenting online. These leaders have an inability to see or admit the truth even when caught in a lie….there are always extenuating circumstances and viable reasons for their deceits. Another side of this characteristic is to take something that is basically true and combine it with the fabrications to present an aura of credibility. While more subtle, it is, nevertheless, just another side of the deceit coin. They are not beyond plagiarism either! They will obtain other people's writings, make some changes and then use their own name as the author of the stolen work!
5) A defining characteristic of cult leaders is the fact that, no matter what pain or destruction their actions towards others has brought, there is absolutely no shame, remorse or guilt on their part for the consequences of their actions. If they even give it thought, it is only how to rearrange the perspective on events to present themselves as justified and right in their actions. This is frequently combined with the penchant for deceit discussed above in fabricating plausible sounding explanations for their actions. A frequent justification is…”Yahweh told me to…..Yahweh told me not to…..” for all true believers, there is always a reluctance to deny what may well have been instruction from the Master, and these cult leaders know this. No matter what pain they cause others, they have it worked out how it is the victims’ fault, some deficiency on their part that led to their own suffering. Never is it the cult leaders fault the pain and suffering he causes.
6) The cultic leader tends to have very shallow emotions, very insecure. This characteristic is particularly difficult to detect in online communication, for, despite the dearth of real, heartfelt, emotions, the cult leader with the gift of gab frequently presents as eminently loving, gentle, kind and concerned, especially with those he is trying to develop control over. He presents his demands for control as being only in the very best interest of his victims and presents himself as sacrificially taking such control out of love and commitment. This is almost impossible to see clearly online, except in exceptional circumstances, due to the inability to see this person in actual day-to-day interactions with those around him, and due to the inability to see body language and hear tonal inflections in his voice. He can convince his followers that he loves them unconditionally, but that love, if experienced in truth at all, is conditional solely on his victims’ total acceptance of his domination.
7) There is a tendency for this type of leader to be incredibly callous about the pain and distress of his victim, having no regard for the feelings of the victim. In religious groups with this type of leader, there is great emphasis placed on the unreliability of feelings and the necessity to overcome them, thereby invalidating everything the victim is suffering. A common ploy is for the victim to be told that his/her feelings are not valid because no one else feels that way. All the leader’s manipulative skills are utilized to exploit, control and gain power over the victim. Since the victims do not believe that the leader would intentionally hurt them, they rationalize, with the help of the leader, that the infliction of such pain is for their own good…or has some sort of “redemptive” purpose.
8) The cultic leader also tends to have an unrealistic life plan. You will not find such a person working a job during the week and leading the group on the weekends. His sole goal is to gain and consolidate his control of his group, and increase the size of said group. A frequent statement made by such leaders is….”Yahweh will provide….”.Donations from the group are encouraged, and in many groups, members are expected to donate everything they have to the group, utilizing scriptures describing communal living to support such demands. Only, in this type of group, resources are rarely apportioned according to need, but according to the leader’s perception of need. This leader tends to be highly sensitive to their health problems, and they complain often about it.
9) Contempt of those who do not understand him is almost a defining characteristic of the cultic leader. He makes it plain that in his view, those who either cannot understand the complex and usually very esoteric belief system, are flawed spiritually and nowhere near as worthy as he and those who follow him are. He claims to have exclusive revelation to the truth, and is convinced that those who do not share this same revelation are; blinded to truth, in error, or overtly demonized.
10) This leader does not conceive that there is anything at all wrong with him, that there is no possibility at all of error on his part. When confronted with obvious errors on his part, rage ensues and attacks on the credibility of the one voicing the errors are common tactics. And anger plays a monumental part of their character composition. This becomes a tool that the cult leader uses to control their members. In internet groups, such a person will never discuss differences in ideology or areas where his error could be brought out into the open in one on one discussion. This cult leader type, are usually able to maintain their own sense of infallibility without having to answer errors brought out by others.
11) In a cultic environment, the leader almost always evidences a strong, secretive paranoia…..seeing or fearing persecution from all quadrants. They are unusually obsessed about their position and will usually be given to temper tantrums when challenged. There always tends to be secret revelations, secret texts, and secret insights he will share with no one outside the group; the common reason given is the scriptural injunction not to cast one’s pearls before swine. Perhaps the greatest fear of such a leader is that, with exposure to the light, his pet paradigms will be shown for the esoteric creations that they are. Publicly, they give voice to holding to the accepted canons and dogma of the word, but their secret revelations hold far more sway in their minds and beliefs.
12) The goal of the cult leader is total enslavement of the victims. In mind controlling cults, scriptures commanding submission are used to totally dominate and control the victims’ actions, thoughts and beliefs. Victims are repeatedly and emphatically told that they must yield totally to the leader, to throw themselves at his feet. One leader even proposes bowing and prostration and the kissing of his feet from his followers as a sign of total surrender. This is presented as a direct command from Yahweh, and takes the biblical description of authority to such a level that the leader is left with total control of all aspects of the victims’ lives. The victims are then conditioned to believe that only in such total surrender to the leader will they truly be free or happy.
We see, from the characteristics shown above, that there is a definite pattern of thought and behavior for the cultic leader. The underlying purpose for every action and word is power. Language is the chief tool of the cultic leader and he uses it to dominate, control and manipulate those around him. In mind controlling religious cults, the leaders show consummate skill in manipulating scriptures with the sole purpose of consolidating their control over their victims. The induction of guilt and the induction of fear of condemnation are the chief weapons in the cult leader’s arsenal.
An easy determinant of whether or not a group has a cultic and abusive leader is to observe his actions toward one who has left the group. If those who leave remain quiet, and do not voice their knowledge of the workings of the group, the leader concocts his stories about why the person left, and will leave it at that. If, however, the person speaks up about the abuses he suffers, or tries to impart that information to another person who is at risk for the same type of treatment, that person is immediately demonized. Character assassination, interspersed with a voiced concern for the escapee’s spiritual (or mental) health, follows. Since the facts coming out cannot be refuted, the leader resorts to ad hominem attacks and immediately counsels others in his sphere of influence not to have contact with the vocal escapee.
In conclusion; attempts by any group leader to question your salvation, induce feelings of guilt in you, or coerce you into unscriptural actions that you are uncomfortable with is very possibly a spiritually abusive group. Particularly with internet groups, the potential for deceit and error is great. Always do backgrounds check on the leader and ask for organization documentation. Make these leaders prove their ordination(s) and origin of order. Who ordained them, what were their names, where did this group originate. Prove all things. I pray that the information here will be a tool for readers to assist in rational discernment about the real motives and intentions of any such group or leader they may come in contact with.
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Dont play the victim with me, wont get you anywhere. Don't make it personal, it's purely topical. You really do contridict yourself constantly Greg, if it's about people finding their own paths they do not need you. Nothing personal, just the truth.
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Possums eat peyote.
in Cacti & Succulents
Posted
Hey guys, just noticed one of my peyotes has been raped and pillaged, with the tell tale droppings of a possum left behind. Sure as shit never figured a fucking possum would eat peyote, but there you go. Anyone have any strategies for getting rid of possums? I have no problem going full nuclear if that's what it takes, any advice appreciatted.