❀ the cult of: ➥motivational speakers ➥life coaches ➥personal growth gurus ➥new-age charlatans ➥AWESOMENESS FEST

This is a long, dark & deep rabbit hole that I've been tumbling down since i decided to google a few names that showed up on BH Ideas and Megacycles.

It started with Sean Stephenson, who despite being a 3' tall handicapped dude seems like a pretty legit motivational speaker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAibh3SqRUo

then i came across a pair of youtubes of his proposal to his fiance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Q_XE7j9PA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V51wUDoiE9g

and i ended up on her site:

http://i.imgur.com/meJj7.jpg

I coach. I take a holistic approach to coaching (mind, body, spirit, your connection to nature, etc…) You see, every aspect of our lives is interwoven, so I’ll come from all angles to help you really rock your life.

Nothing lights me up like witnessing a client break through limiting beliefs and grab hold of his or her dreams. Coming from the heart-center is the key to living your best life.

I pull from my experience as a coach and mentor, education and various trainings. These are some of the practices I’ve studied: meditation, Jungian psychology, dream analysis, chakra therapy, creativity, therapeutic nutrition, breath work, intuition, death & grief therapy, shamanism, world religions & spirituality.

After kind of loling @ "oh yeah, life coaches are a thing!" and poking around at a few more youtubes and websites, I soon ended up at the website of an event called AWESOMENESS FEST:

http://i.imgur.com/9Vkst.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmql7PIaP34

and from there the floodgates opened.....

Awesomeness Fest is put on by a Kuala Lumpur based company called called... wait for it... MINDVALLEY. The guy in the video is the company's founder and CEO. His name is Vishen Lakhiani and he has a few more websites.

Mindvalley has a pretty slick looking website, as does Awesomeness Fest, and both have well maintained Facebook pages. But you have to really try hard to find out what the fuck they actually do:

http://i.imgur.com/idLyk.png

Basically, as best I can tell, the end result is post-The Secret shlock, mixed with ILX-documented social media assholes, and a sort of Scientology-for-pussies, feel-good & make money vibe that is ultimately meaningless and without any quantitative value to any sane adult. One minute they're talking meditation and the next minute its wealth-building. Yoga classes by day and open-bar beach parties by nite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lug8T-bsf94

Everyone is so young and beautiful!

Anyway, I have been wasting several hours a day obsessing over these weird people and dragging anyone who will IM with me down the rabbit hole with me.

In this thread I will continue to document my findings, speculate as to where this shit came from & where it is going, and above all fully relish in this new found obsession.

I invite you to do the same.

http://i.imgur.com/Cb1h8.png

dude I fuckin love the way you think I gotta say

oh my god, that short bit on the "amazing trainer" part at 0:38 on the Awesomeness Fest video summary is amazing

http://www.landmarkforum.com/images/photo_grid_new.jpg

that quote about how "some of the people who have attended Awesomeness Fest have even said that it was one of the greatest weekends of their entire life" is perfect. especially when you think whoever told him that may have been being an extreme smartass and perhaps he didn't realize it was a joke.

Guys, I'd like to introduce you to 11-year-old Zynnia Jesek from Tampa, Florida, who raised over $6000 to attended Awesomeness Fest 2011. HERE'S HOW SHE DID IT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RImcqkBWOU

That's right, using IndieGoGo, she raised $6475 for her awesome plan!

http://www.indiegogo.com/4-Day-Awesomeness-Fest-Test

Here is what she learned at Awesomeness Fest:

A cover of Jason Mraz's "Yours" on ukelele! Here goes nothin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IMUXHHEhCA&feature=related

Zynnia gets a standing ovation at a hotel convention. I recommend skipping to the standing ovation part:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKPDwDZT16c

My most recent and currently #1 most favorite discovery is wunderkind ZYNNIA!!!!!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/y4owa.jpg

Zynnia has all sorts of cool videos on youtube, mostly of her interviewing adults about cool stuff!

But who is she?

Zynnia Jezek was born at home, caught in the hands of her brother and sister on August 5, 2000.

She was raised in the natural parenting style on a diet of primarily raw and vegan foods. She never had any major illness though she spent the majority of her life traveling and living in third world countries. Zynnia is proudly unschooled and yet probably has the equivalence of a college degree in the events and trainings she has attended.

Zynnia may look like a very lucky girl whose life affords the luxuries of making videos, keeping a garden and always smiling and having fun, but do not judge a book by it’s cover. Zynnia’s life has been filled with both blessings and also profound loss.

you may ask yourself "how did a little girl end up at AWESOMENESS FEST??"

that's a great question!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RImcqkBWOU

http://i.imgur.com/X1qQK.png

what did she DO at Awesomeness Fest?? She talked to a lot of AWESOME people!!

(note to Zynnia: intos are a liiiiitle long):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOhINJ0vUgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwnbsyqYhCY

but that's not all... she also learned how to play ukulele! (sort of):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IMUXHHEhCA

lol xposts to confounded (one of the many ppl i dragged into the rabbit hole)

hahaha i'll fight you for zynnia, she's mine

zynnia is making some progress on her fundraising goals, but has a little ways to go:
http://i.imgur.com/4N7Li.png

i am genuinely interested in what's going to go down in this thread

if you give zynnia $5000, she may sing you a beautiful song too

And that would be... awesome?

Zynnia Jezek was born at home, caught in the hands of her brother and sister on August 5, 2000.

She was raised in the natural parenting style on a diet of primarily raw and vegan foods.

Barf!

Man, this shit is scary! And... well, yeah, what do they DO exactly?
YOU ARE AWESOME BECAUSE.... BECAUSE YOU ARE AWESOME! :D

one of Zynnia's interviews at Awesomeness Fest particularly struck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjy7W0s9HFE

"Information Software... Yadda Yadda Yadda..."

"I had no money.. I was living on about $400 a day."

"How can I: #1: stay in Thailand, and #2: Make a LOT of money?"

"I could be a Rock star..... FAIL! LOL! Kids: It's really good to dream of being a rock star, but its really really hard... OK?"

"I'm in the process of both expanding and contracting my business."

"You follow me there?" "Yes. Absolutely."

Despite what he tell Zynnia, Greg has lots of websites too. LOTS.

http://seveninone.com/discourse
http://gregjacobswpmagemonster.com/
http://wp-mage-monster.com/
http://wpmagemonsterbonus.com/
http://wpmagex.net/
http://www.wp-mage-monster.org/
http://thewpmagemonster.com/
http://monstermagescam.info/ <----- lol @ "scam"

and there's all kinds of youtubes!

http://i.imgur.com/WXEnD.jpg

what's it all about? Allow Greg to explain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aew4qoWSFY8

two minutes into greg and... no idea what u talknbout

"I had no money.. I was living on about $400 a day."

In Thailand! Never been, but imagining that a dollar goes a lot further there??

that interview is chock full of weird slips like that

So he's a pyramid scheme shonk?

he was sleeping w/ 23 prostitutes a day, tbf

the guiltiest lol

this thread is terrifying

"i was using my creative abilities from music and from writing... and applying it into something solid... that I could you know, change into money somehow"

... and that thing was internet marketing, rather than yanno, like, being a musician or a writer!? o_0

i love this stuff and am disgusted by it at the same time. it's like cults and capitalism had some weird marriage together. amway is an old fav.

Trayce, he said: "FAIL! Don't be a writer" and gave a thumbs down, and even blew a raspberry, if I'm not mistaken!

Oh ok I was skimming the damn thing, he rambles like a cokehead.

this trend is pretty much the final collective human dreamsong of psychosis before we all lose our identities permanently, rite?

WTF is Zynnia's mysterious tragedy?

Zynnia’s life has been filled with both blessings and also profound loss.

Zynnia’s sole mission and purpose in life is to fully enjoy each moment and live in full awareness and gratitude for the power of now. Zynnia knows all too well, that at any moment tragedy can strike and the whole world you grow comfortable with can be ripped apart.

she wanted waffles but they served pancakes instead :'(

I mean

Zynnia has lived through it and she has immense wisdom and maturity from that journey. This is why she very consciously chooses a life of dreams coming true.

"it"?

I'd choose a life where dreams come true, but just this week I dreamed that the copier at work was located at O'Hare airport, so I can't risk it.

"I'm in the process of both expanding and contracting my business."

blew my mind

lol that was my favorite too.

really stoked you are all here, btw.

amway is an old fav.

see, this is the thing... say what you will about Amway, they may be selling you overpriced toothpaste but at least you're getting an actual product to clean your teeth with.

these dudes aren't even that far removed from people who make money teaching men how to date women (Sean Stephenson has actually dipped in to this), but like, at least with Pick Up Artist gurus, the promise is that dudes will come out less afraid of talking to women-- which is a lot more solid than, "awesomeness!".

also a fan of when zynnia shouts "LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH ME AND MY FAMILY!"

lol otm

OUT: dance moms
IN: video moms

so far, my favorite Mindvalley product is QUANTUM JUMPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just watch this interview Vishen did at the home of Burt Goldman, developer of the Quantum Jumping method:

http://www.quantumjumping.com/special/meet-burt-goldman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTmeK52xec

1) count how many times they mention money
2) be sure to watch till 6:43. I promise you won't be disappointed.

i bet you guys are doubling the view count on all of Zynnia's videos right now

quaNTUM JUmping

two phrases came into his head the first was PLANT YOURSELF the second was Take lots of pictures

heads up, y'all: 2012 will not be the end of the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsKRAHqrf0

bonus copping of 99% jargon

also:
http://i.imgur.com/mFViR.png

http://i.imgur.com/RNYEY.png

i was forced (along with my workmates) to attend a customized motivational seminar once. we managed to completely sabotage it -- i think i made one of the two seminar leaders cry. i am not ashamed. these folks are the lowest of the low, occupying a totally unnecessary niche opened up by the worst tendencies of corporate culture and "self-actualization" rhetoric.

can you remember who the speaker was?????

"I'm in the process of both expanding and contracting my business."

Trans: "I am in a constant state of starting up new concerns, hoping the IRS wont catch me when I declare bankruptcy on the old ones"

xpost

no they were nobodies... folks that were routinely hired by the business school of the university where i worked to provide "teamwork seminars" for different groups. i wasn't in the business school but i guess our boss decided to try them out.

IIRC one of the two speakers was trying to get us to learn about "optimizing teamwork" based on lessons from ... wait for it... people who "successfully" survived the holocaust. i interrupted him and told him that i couldn't leave the seminar because i was being paid to attend but that he would not be continuing this line of discussion.

he looked sort of lost, looked at the other speaker who nodded, then he kind of hung his shoulders and stepped aside for the next part of the seminar.

the head of my department, who arranged the seminar, was mortified.

"I personally dont believe 2012 will be the end of the world"

WOW AMAZING!~!!!! D:

xpost

i got a lot of high-fives from coworkers the next day, though.

IIRC one of the two speakers was trying to get us to learn about "optimizing teamwork" based on lessons from ... wait for it... people who "successfully" survived the holocaust.

oh my god

guys there are also endless amounts of "video cover letters" from people applying for a job at Mindvalley©

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqUP9jgACAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCNEvMNCU1A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISBkiVpjXXM&

Yeah wow amst that is... I'm gobsmacked.

I mean I thought the motivational bullshit day my old workplace pulled on us once was in bad taste (they themed it on "Survivor" the TV show - the week my entire team had been told we were being laid off!).

But that just... wow.

amateurist that is A+ work

yeah. for a guy who was ostensibly a "motivational" speaker he seemed pretty weak and demoralized. i think i ruined his week. i would've felt bad if his presentation wasn't so egregiously offensive.

this stuff is just megachurches but on a smaller screen and without the vestigial jesus part

Mindvalley staff group photo

http://i.imgur.com/fPdKM.jpg

^all of these people live & work in Kuala Lumpur

the new series "young, attractive, and profoundly flaky" debuts on bravo this saturday!

anyway...

i forgot the other good part of my motivational seminar experience.

one part of the seminar was devoted to a "game" in which we were given note cards, and asked to write--anonymously-- one instance of "positive reinforcement" and one "constructive criticism" of each of our coworkers.

some of my coworkers refused the participate. i should have but decided just to do the "positive reinforcement" part.

some of the "constructive criticism" read like poison pen letters: "beth really has an attitude." "i don't think jeff is any good at his job." "i feel like jeremy is constantly talking down to people."

it made at least one of my coworkers cry. and it ended in a general uproar with us asking the "motivational" speakers for their credentials and wondering aloud how many times they had done this before.

so basically, if you see a motivational speaker walking down the street, just go ahead and cold cock him or her. you will do the human race a great service.

lol now i want a comedic series based based on motivational speakers in the style of Party Down

that pic looks like a "yelp elite event"

xpost. just getting a total amway vibe from this awesomefest/mindvalley thing. create a culture where you're special (attracting lost souls, of course = easy marks), using gurus to lead you to The Secret of personal fulfillment (making money, somehow), create a fraudulent presentation that being an affiliate will make you lots of it, with only a tiny chance of that happening.

amway's way creepier, but seems like the same basic deal ... deluding poor souls into parting with their money and getting them to shell out more. Mindvalley/Awesomefest seems linked to The Secret somehow. This is actually pretty interesting.

my friend just got fired from his job working as a lifecoach

rather, working for a lifecoach

lol i was gonna say

Several people who appeared/starred in The Secret have spoken at Awesomeness Fest

seminar as placebo effect

so much shame in that room...

part of an email friend got back when trying to get paid for the two weeks before he was fired:

On an practical and business front. Since you were hired on as a subcontractor in the get go and that from the outset we were going to take a look a few months down the road as to how we were to proceed, I feel as though that has come to fruition. And although the review of things did not look like we both thought it was going to, both initially and according to where we were playing weeks before christmas, it happened the way it did. In my mind it occurred and adjusted to suit the situation and position I found myself in (with complete commitment to not doing another thing that looked like it did prior to that moment). Although that might be hard to explain, interpret or understand, things like this happen for some of us and there is a watershed and things change overnight. It did, there's no other explanation or rationale.

holy shit

honestly that is the freakiest thing about this phenomenon to me, the way it seems to curdle people's ability to use language properly. a college roommate got really into the landmark forum and it was like she just spoke gibberish all the time suddenly.

i have a couple of friends who got into landmark forum and invited me to join a writer's group they were putting together, and i realized about three meetings in i was accidentally getting landmarked.

i quit before we went to "cafe gratitude"

A BREAKDOWN OF A LIFECOACH:

Here's the first email my friend got from the dude:

This is the start of something big and quite frankly something never before developed or experienced on the face of this planet.
What we will accomplish together will be directly downloaded from Source and put into practice by You and Me.
It will change not only our lives but the world as we know it and expand all that is from this moment forward.
I am excited, enthusiastic and looking very much forward to our creation of team and moving this into action.

Welcome!

Here's the last email friend got from the dude:

I am simply not ready to move forward with my business endeavors at this point.
Everyday I wonder when and if it will surge but to date I am simply disinterested in reentering into "business as usual" again.
It is actually repulsive to me at the moment and thus keeping me from engaging in anything that resembles what we were doing prior to years end.

I am not exactly sure what else to say as a result of the experience I am having.
I suppose we can go through the week from my standpoint and see what occurs and because I have no idea when this experience I am having will change, I can not predict the outcome and really have no desire to do that anyway.

funny thing is the most landmarky of that group really DID write in total bizarre gibberish

in his defense the only reason the friend worked for the dude was to get some money after travelling a bunch and ending up back in his home state

In my mind it occurred and adjusted to suit the situation and position I found myself in (with complete commitment to not doing another thing that looked like it did prior to that moment).

http://images.wikia.com/characters/images/3/35/Norman-bates.gif

but still it was a p horrible idea

can we call awesomefest Burning Mind

lol @ "Burning Mind"

omar/horseshoe: i am unfamiliar with landmark!!!! enlighten me!!

so much shame in that room...

― his hands are a dirty fountain through which lives spurt (contenderizer), Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:47 PM (1 hour ago)

feel like we could do a whole ws of shame pollthread w/ this page:

http://www.awesomenessfest.com/meet-the-tribe/

xp This Observer article (yeh, lol observer, but still . . . ) seems an even-handed write-up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/dec/14/ameliahill.theobserver

It makes the whole thing sound like the plot of Good Will Hunting.

i have a coworker who spends all his vacation days flying to like new zealand and places for life coach training, but i have tried to avoid the subject because he's a bit of a talker and also i kind of enjoy the insane ambition of the term LIFE COACH devoid of whatever weird 10-step literature goes along with it, especially since dude is such just a regular ho-hum guy. it's so weird to think that he could be another guy's life coach, i don't know.

like, does anyone actually hire a freelance life coach??

or i guess you just run meetings and that huh. i want a life coach to follow me around and suggest i do things all day, like "you should take an umbrella".

how to live.

http://i.imgur.com/QyN8i.png

all this inspirational shit working so fucking hard to deny the essential tragedy of the human condition just makes me think of it more and more.

landmark is this super-culty west-coast based semi-offshoot of scientology (maybe not an offshoot, per se, but they emerged around the same time and w/similar ideas.) basically a self-help pyramid scheme, promises to get rid of all negative energy etc, the usual. you go to these seminars that are apparently super intense and you're supposed to just talk and let all your secrets out or whatever and basically talk away the pain with other people and then you're all bros and you're supposed to recruit friends into the group and they make you teach courses as well (as part of your membership.) it's similar to scientology in that it tries to be all super-positive but if you question it, they get aggro. plus it's "suggested" that you should cut negative people out of your life (which = lots of non-landmark folks, which i think is what sort of happened to my two friends.)

i mentioned cafe gratitude b/c it's this big vegan chain from SF that recently "sprouted" (lol) in l.a. and i guess they were going to close the SF locations b/c of lawsuits stemming from people working there being pressured to take landmark classes and in some cases being canned if they refused.

it's basically creepy b/c it's very high-pressure and people get all vacant-eyed when they sing its praises. i tend to think self-help shit is for complete suckers anyway, because there's no one group that has to answers to complex human emotions, relationships, desires, and pains, but hey people believe it anyway.

article regarding the cafe gratitude thing w/some hilarious dead-eyed comments from landmark acolytes (which as per usual w/this sort of thing go beyond the "hey it's really not that bad" form of damage control.)

http://laist.com/2011/11/29/agressive_lawsuits_forcing_cafe_gra.php

Wasnt there a news story about some Landmarked woman who went nuts and jumped out of a window?

Yeah, here it is:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/08/20/putting-self-help-groups-under-the-microscope/

can we call awesomefest Burning Mind

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:03 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

honestly that is the freakiest thing about this phenomenon to me, the way it seems to curdle people's ability to use language properly. a college roommate got really into the landmark forum and it was like she just spoke gibberish all the time suddenly.

― horseshoe, Thursday, 2 February 2012 06:55 (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i know 'did u go to grad school' has been a go-to ilx zing recently but seriously, all this reminds me a little of that - i'm not calling BS on grad school but i think there's an ability to change the register you speak in, & then feel like, as a byproduct, you're handling/relating to things in a totally different way. so w/school it's saying 'unpack' & with this it's DREAM ACTUALIZATION, like there's some social comfort in fluency of the particular vernacular, maybe bc it can separate you & non-believers.

really loving this thread, gonna put this on my résumé:

unschooled and yet probably has the equivalence of a college degree in the events and trainings she has attended

it was in the early '00 that i first heard of personal growth gurus /motivational speakers; i was a working poor and fairly stressed out about it, their sales pitch intrigued me so i downloaded some of that to figure out if it could be of any help, brandler, robbins , the big names and the b listers... listening to that while playing video games i finally began to feel weird then noticed something that was -in the unsaid- , some sophistic strategy like some sort of "guru's nlp secret of the trade" most of em were using... i don't know exactly what they were doing or what they think they were doing but i figure that they were manipulating to make me feel bad, to aggravate my distress to big up he worth their "solutions" and most importantly to install themselves in a position where i am dependent of them in the long term.

What's the difference between Mind Valley and Emerson et al's Brook Farm? Is it the difference between a resort and a commune?

Many people in the community wrote of how much they enjoyed their experience and, in particular, the light-hearted atmosphere.[68] One participant, a man named John Codman, joined the community at the age of 27 in 1843. He wrote, "It was for the meanest a life above humdrum, and for the greatest something far, infinitely far beyond. They looked into the gates of life and saw beyond charming visions, and hopes springing up for all".[74]

landmark is this super-culty west-coast based semi-offshoot of scientology (maybe not an offshoot, per se, but they emerged around the same time and w/similar ideas.) basically a self-help pyramid scheme, promises to get rid of all negative energy etc, the usual. you go to these seminars that are apparently super intense and you're supposed to just talk and let all your secrets out or whatever and basically talk away the pain with other people and then you're all bros and you're supposed to recruit friends into the group and they make you teach courses as well (as part of your membership.) it's similar to scientology in that it tries to be all super-positive but if you question it, they get aggro. plus it's "suggested" that you should cut negative people out of your life (which = lots of non-landmark folks, which i think is what sort of happened to my two friends.)

omar, i don't want to minimize your experience with this but this is all pretty much not true. it's is a semi-offshoot of scientology in the sense of werner erhard did scientology before "inventing" Est (which is what Landmark really is an offshoot of). but they don't promise to get rid of all negative energy, you're not supposed to let all your secrets out while talking at a seminar (they're pretty rigidly organized and are mostly lecture-based), you don't talk away the pain, they don't make you teach courses, and it is not only not suggested that you cut out negative people from your life but the organization is primarily designed around improving people's relationships w/ family members / people in their actual real lives. I've done courses with Landmark (tho not for many years) and I've literally heard ppl in positions of leadership tell groupies, "If you do this course and what you get out of it is you start to hang out and Landmark with all your new Landmark friends, you've basically wasted your time. It's only of value if you use it in your life."

Re: what "it" is, is primarily (it seems to me) basic continental philosophy and I suspect it's not dissimilar to those practical philosophy courses they advertise on the MTA subway.

nb I think it fits really nicely on this thread but if we're going to talk about it we're should probably talk about what it actually is and not call it a super-cult. And I'm sure your friends did ostracize you bc of Landmark, but I know that isn't encouraged at all.

I was busy yesterday and now wish to bask in the wealth of this thread.

namaste, folks!

tbf, Mordy, these groups don't have to directly tell you that people are full of negative energy or that you have to ditch your family. When you're going full speed ahead on your goal to get to awesomefest or whatever any dissenting or critical voice is going to seem negative!

I read a book that synthesized the origins of est/Synanon/Landmark/etc and how those philosophies/organizations lead to a lot of those teen death camps (my term for them) where "troubled kids" whose parents have a lot of money send them to an island or the woods or whatever to be "straightened out." This book was interesting for a lot of reasons, but seeing the development of that seed of an idea that lead to a lot of the weirder and more aggro incarnations of expensive/dubious self-help was my favorite part. The book is Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids.

Fun fact! I used to work at a psychic hotline in the mid-90s and after it went tits up, the owner became a freelance life coach, which she remains to this day.

There's a Landmark thread around here somewhere.

tbf, Mordy, these groups don't have to directly tell you that people are full of negative energy or that you have to ditch your family. When you're going full speed ahead on your goal to get to awesomefest or whatever any dissenting or critical voice is going to seem negative!

True, but there are enough organizations (like Scientology) that directly tell you that people are full of negative energy and that you have to ditch your family that you should at least distinguish. For what it's worth, though, Landmark explicitly coaches people to repair bad relationships with people in their lives. Cynical interpretation: So that they can bring them to the next meeting. Optimistic interpretation: Who cares why? People report that the biggest stuff they've gotten out of the course is renewing relationships w/ ppl esp ppl they've had bad blood with for a long time.

Jenny, did you work for Miss Cleo?

Jenny, were you Miss Cleo?

psychic hotline

Did you pick up the phones before they rang?

occupational hazard

ugh this thread is so disturbing

and i haven't even watched any of the videos

Not Miss Cleo - it was a small, independently owned hotline located in Boulder, CO, called M0rningst@r Psychics. I was the customer service manager.

It was one of the most weirdly dysfunctional workplaces I have ever experienced.

I'm sorry, she is not a life coach. She is an "@uth3nt1c pr0sp3r1ty c0@ch."

and i think that in some ways, a certain sort of educated and non-shammy "life coaching" is interesting and works for some people, but this is, well, something else...
xp

haha a friend of mine was a phone sex worker when she finished high school and worked next to the psychic phone line workers. the stories she told me. so dysfunctional. but oh the easy access to good/bad drugs.

I don't want to derail, but it's kind of relevant, but it wasn't like a phone in from home kind of place. They had a really intense interview and selection process for the psychics, who then had to undergo training in the methods espoused by the owners. Customer service rep's job was to talk to people and tell them who was reading at that time and use our psychic abilities to make a good match between the caller and the psychic, including telling the person to call back at another time to talk to somebody who might not have been on shift.

The two owners totally ganged up on one coworker was sick a lot (she was just kind of sickly and allergic to everything), put her in one of the reading rooms, and basically took turns berating her for being so negative and bringing her sickly negativity into the office, and told her that she was sick so often because she was negative and drew all the sickness to her and, by proxy, to everyone she worked with.

It's like... all of these elements on their own could be functional, but some people need a lot more direction than "hey, I could do yoga" or "hey, I could use a way to figure out how to organize my professional life or emotions" and it's like a little life view and motivation wrapped up

so basically it's the same as people who are way too into organized religion. kind of has the same smell as megachurches where all your social events are at or through the church

Jenny, that's kind of like the obvious "you're not doing what we like / you're not with the program: you have negative energies!" formula in a nutshell!

Mordy, you obviously know more about Landmark than I do, but my other roommates and i used to have house meetings about how we were worried this roommate of mine had joined a cult. because:

1) she was spending a lot of money on Landmark classes
2) she had begun speaking in a hyper-technical space alien sounding jargon
3) she was constantly trying to recruit us to come with her.

i believe you that a lot of what the lectures were for was personal relationships, because she was constantly trying to use her Landmark-isms on us, but it was still creepy and seemingly substance-less in execution. at the time i remember thinking that Landmark seemed to be preying on this girl's social anxiety.

lol, i'm such an ilx outlier. i'd say like at least 65% of my social life goes through my local synagogue (even worse, a chabad house!) xp

And yeah, horseshoe, obviously it's not a great experience for a lot of people. For one, you've gotta figure that the kind of person who would take a class like this to begin with is going to be in a particular place in their life. Fwiw, to lead introduction courses, or teach seminars, etc, you have to prove a very high level of personal success (in economic/health/relationship areas) in your life (generally to become a Landmark Forum leader -- the company is employee-owned by all Forum leaders -- you have to have complete financial independence -- or at least used to. I don't know if you still do). But anyone can take the course. Well, not anyone. If you have a history of mental illness I believe your psychiatrist has to sign off on your forms. I do know a number of ppl who lied on their applications that they don't have a history of mental illness tho.

One thing a lot of participants in the seminars do, that is discouraged in the courses and obviously really dumb, is try to Landmark their friends. They tell you to share authentically about your life and be honest about your relationships, but not to analyze your friends using the paradigms of the course. But of course everyone leaves the course and starts telling all their friends about "enrollment," and "authenticity," and "creating possibility," and "running rackets," and "winning formulas/strong suits." There is a highly specific jargon, and I'm not sure that it has value per se, but it certainly has more value when contextualized + discussed + unpacked (lol unpacked- academia another one of my cults) than it does when you're enthusing about how "enrollment is causing a possibility to be present for another such that they are touched, moved and inspired by that possibility" to your roommate that you really want to come to your "graduation" Tuesday night but just wants to read their book and not hear you overshare about your weekend.

Mordy, you don't seem like a person who uncritically follows anything, though.

omar/horseshoe: i am unfamiliar with landmark!!!! enlighten me!!

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 3:05 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

mordy mentioned it but landmark used to be EST which was HUGE in the 70s and is in many ways the granddaddy of all this shit

Mordy, you don't seem like a person who uncritically follows anything, though.

I critically follow everything, lol. But yeah -- I'm not trying to paint an uncritical picture of Landmark, just trying to add some nuance + historical context.

My experience with people who got into Landmark - blessedly limited - is on track with horseshoe's.

Jenny, that's kind of like the obvious "you're not doing what we like / you're not with the program: you have negative energies!" formula in a nutshell!

YES. I would be shocked if at least half of the people I worked with didn't go on to be hardcore Landmarkians/Awesomefest attendees. They were basically living The Secret before The Secret was even a thing. Actually at the time I think the Celestine Prophecies was the bullshit, dumbed-down pseudospiritual handbook du jour.

I did, however, take a lot of Tarot reading classes and it's nice to have a skill to fall back on.

The purpose of est was "to transform one's ability to experience living so that the situations one had been trying to change or had been putting up with, clear up just in the process of life itself."

hmmm

Is that supposed to make sense?

Also, I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the participants and letting the business off-the-hook. I fully think the business is responsible for the kinds of participants it attracts, and responsible to deal with them ethically and responsibly once allowing them to take their courses. I'm just pointing out that these kinds of businesses are always going to attract a particular group of participants. For instance, I don't think it's possible to take a Landmark course and go crazy because of the course. I think it's possible to start with a precarious mental situation and then have it degrade by taking a course. But I also studied Kabbalah + Chassidic philosophy for three years and met ppl who experienced psychotic episodes from that as well.

but is the course worthwhile in any way?

The purpose of est was "to transform one's ability to experience living so that the situations one had been trying to change or had been putting up with, clear up just in the process of life itself."

Let me translate? The stuff that you've been trying to change, or the shitty things you've been just suffering with - they will clear up without actually addressing them directly, just by changing your perspective. A huge part of the model (which IIRC Erhard got directly from Hubbard and was probably responsible for their rift and for Scientology trying to defame and then later kill Erhard) is that resisting things causes them to persist, and what is actually required is a contextual shift. That context shift is generally supposed to be creating a possibility -- generally something life-affirming and positive for your community. The idea is that you throw yourself into good works and the shitty stuff will disappear.

fwiw i would not have characterized my former college roommate as mentally unstable, before or even during the Landmark thing. she was odd and sort of bullheaded but she seemed pretty okay, honestly. i guess that could have been an elaborate front, but i don't know.

the main diff between the current milieu and landmark or w/e motivation seminars of old is the internet, like est/landmark is this huge org w/curriculum and and a marketing budget and whatnot but w/the internet you can just throw yr own shit out and see if it sticks, which is obv lol m/l how the internet has effected other industries, but i think w/this one which is a marketplace of ideas it has created this strange dynamic where everyone is an aspiring teacher, its just a bunch of teachers trying to teach each other, they make noises abt being students too but theres this hardly concealed undercurrent of ambition to dominate, and everyone is just sort of talking over each other in this inane gibberish, its v sad!

xp to horseshoe -- idk, I thought it was for me. I'm not going to plug it though. I'm way more fascinated by the political stuff -- like why Erhard had to flee the country and the whole network of mass encounter groups that were exploding in the 70s (and which obviously stuff like Mindvalley is the child of).

Back to Mindvalley briefly -- I was looking at their website and they remind me of Entertainment720.

mindvalley is my fav name for anything, really disappointed i didnt come up w/it myself

Wonder if these businesses are designed specifically to attract those types of people. When people are looking for help and guidance they're vulnerable, and some people when they're vulnerable are very suggestible or at the worst looking to lose themselves into something ... don't know much about Landmark itself, but you get people who can be easily exploited. Makes me sick to think about.

Rethinking your context about stuff is a good idea ... reminds me of Buddhism or even 7 Habits/Dale Carnegie kinda stuff, and totally appeals to common sense. But even that can be a hook all depending on how it's used.

mindvalley is v arrested development-y

ok can we stop being analytical and go back to finding awesome craziness to link?

life coach FAQ

Interesting btw how Tony Robbins has shifted from sketchy/cult-y to more the TED Talk style of self-improvement.

I had a roommate who was really into Landmark. Mostly it seemed like she had never reached an adult level of emotional function, and Lmark was showing her how to grow up. It was kind of like remedial emotional life skills, or at least that's what she was getting out of it and coming home to talk about.

It seemed like kind of dumb obvious shit to me, but she was a nice person who meant well and had had a lot of bad/violent things happen to her, and been poor and without options. Considering all of that, she had kind of made a success of herself, and she looooooved Landmark.

Mostly it seemed like she had never reached an adult level of emotional function

tbf this describes like 90% of the human beings i interact with on a daily basis on ilx and in real life.

lol there are some outlier TED Talks that are suspicious

I happen to know some people on ilx and irl too, and when I say that she was emotionally dysfunctional/unlearned, I mean in comparison to the other people I have known.

mindvalley is v arrested development-y

Located at the base of Fuck Mountain.

yeah there are definitely some dubious TED talks...
xp

ted is generally dubious imho

just the whole culture

This is such high end motivational stuff. I am really interested in the low end -- like this class by Alan Salami, LCSW

Want to learn how to talk to anyone at anytime and make a good impression. Are your fears of rejection in your way? Come learn how to:
o Overcome your fears
o Feel good about yourself and what you have to say
o Project self-confidence
o Start and continue conversations
We will practice self-image building and power communication skills. Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychotherapist. He specializes in assisting people to learn new mental skills to transform their lives. Mat. Fee: $10

http://www.discoverycenter.cc/classes/il3556.htm

Start and continue conversations

I happen to know some people on ilx and irl too, and when I say that she was emotionally dysfunctional/unlearned, I mean in comparison to the other people I have known.

lol, fair enough. I was just trying to make the point that humans in general kinda suck at basic emotional competencies, but that's probably a discussion for another thread.

o Feel good about yourself and what you have to say

nbd

Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychotherapist.

first glance thought this said Alan Salami LCSW is an NLP Master Practitioner and Psychobabblist.

The business development/futurism/positivity/self improvement axis is a slippery slope.

guys check this out, specifically the course titles that are of the form "If I'm X then how come I'm not rich/famous"

http://www.floatinguniversity.com/courses

Pleased to see local ChILX hero Alan Salami itt.

i think that might be the practical philosophy stuff i used to see advertised on MTA a lot. certainly something like that

These are not quite the same, but the format of:
Listen to genuine experts speak in broad, motivational terms about their fields
->
You are going to get some sort of insights and start your own business or come up with a revolutionary idea

While we're at it, how about this place?!

this is gonna be lol hueg

http://www.fairtalk.com/RashtraGita/MAHARISHI%20TOWER%20POSTER.jpg

lol those practical philosophy ads xp

That's Iowa btw. AKA Utopia.

I think that one that's always on the train is...another culty movement...energy manipulation, kind of...shoot WHAT is it called??

Founded by a lady named...Mary??

No, I don't know. I can't remember.

http://i.imgur.com/UICuK.jpg

oh man, anything that says maharishi

Is that referring to the maharishi school in Fairfield? It is a very interesting little community in that they have all these stores and nice stuff and it's in the middle of nowhere! I kind of wanted to go see David Lynch speak there a few years ago, lol

u really shouldve gone to that

Yes! My husband is from there.

I have been there many times too, obvs, but he grew up there. That place is BANANAS.

btw something abt that photo of the tower of invincibility looks not quite real idk

this doc was pretty good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq0rsiw6IFo

NO WAY. I totally want to hear your husband's take on it. I wonder if he knows anyone I know from there. I take it he was a local and not in the school?

The kids that went to the Maharishi school always did the same nerdy academic competitions that I was in, but I am not sure they necessarily did really well?

lol just walked by a colleagues desk and saw a letter from landmark education on it. serendipity?

yes, he was a townie. dad still lives a little outside town.

http://www.bigdreamgathering.com/

Join
in the
Convo

Some of the people who have posted their BIG dreams in the past have…

scored a contract with a major shoe company
gone to Africa to help children living in poverty
launched businesses to sell art on-line
written books
transitioned into jobs they loved
launched non-profit organizations
run marathons
sent truck loads of school supplies to Africa
met new friends and made great contacts

^^ this thing had some local meeting and a friend went and they had some bizarro religion thing going on too

THEOSOPHY!

it is my big dream to run a marathon

ok great start running

great thank you big dream!

btw still trying to figure out if sending a "truck load" of school supplies to Africa makes any sense when there is an ocean

haha wait theosophy is still a going concern

http://theosophy.org/

i mean

http://i.imgur.com/dX5Yg.jpg

Something called "Bodhi Spiritual Center" is taking over a church across from our apt. I just googled it and the first auto complete was "Bodhi spiritual center cult."

LL, The Tower of Invincibility is amazing.

For some reason I thought the School of Practical Philosphy was related to theosophy but I can't find a link after reading up. Still...it's kind of all the same?

I have a picture of myself in front of it on facebook, i think? i look totally invincible.

I know an older couple who are/were theosophists (we've fallen out of touch now). The gentleman once tried to heal my friend's sore ankle with energy manipulation that involved holding his hands over her foot and shin, after which my friend swore she thought it'd helped.

Our friendship started to go downhill faster after that.

This is an awesome chart mapping the invincibility and world peace

http://www.invincibility.org/summary_chart.html

Impenetrable explanation here http://www.invincibility.org/index.html

feel like this belongs here
http://buyseech.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tajska-2.jpg

but seems less skeevy somehow

I bet Colin Cowherd (the single worst human being to ever appear on-camera on ESPN, including OJ) eats this shit up.

4 hour work week is prob more skeevy in its own way

The "lifehacking" stuff (Ferriss) does seem related.

Can we start an ILX cult and buy a beach/lake house somewhere and decorate the rooms thusly?
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6107/6354959663_370ab6c550_b.jpg

i could take some issue w/the over coordination of that green but yes basically im in

cmon you know you love it
look at how much inner peace these people have
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6059/6354960929_c2808bda05_b.jpg

I bet Colin Cowherd (the single worst human being to ever appear on-camera on ESPN, including OJ) eats this shit up.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Thursday, February 2, 2012 11:29 AM (46 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

excellent connection imo

There Will Be Blood Conversation Pits

no i do basically love it im sayin its just slightly over done, small complaint xp

when this thread is a lil further along can we poll some of the terms & neologisms coined in this field.

a book i am writing about how husbands and wives can divorce and yet stay the best of friends makes me want to cry my eyes out

schlump you were otm about grad school, btw, it totally feels like a cult, too. at least in the humanities.

a book i am writing about how husbands and wives can divorce and yet stay married

lol colin cowherd otm - bet you that dude makes a little $$ on the side doing motivational speaking

i wish i could remember exactly how my former roommate phrased her central Landmark metaphor--something about building a foundation for a house that she used for every real-life situation. Mordy, do you remember anything about this?

look we really just need to get into this business so we can retire to our own island and work 4 hours a week

ha the dirty lil secret behind all this shit is no one is making any money, it all an illusion via credit card debt

otm-- also a little suspect that a lot of these people seem to be constantly moving around from continent to continent like 21st century grifters

http://imgur.com/wfDFK

theres def a bunch of overlap w/the global traveler culture, people brainstorming abt how to stay in thailand forever etc

horseshoe otm this sounds more and more like academia

http://i.imgur.com/wfDFK.jpg

that landmark forum stuff is creepy, def the dank toilet of the motivational speaker rabbit hole

man, its the headwaters

theres def a bunch of overlap w/the global traveler culture, people brainstorming abt how to stay in thailand forever etc

― lag∞n, Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:27 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

also central tenant: escape

Landmark Forum

chawkee : )

xpost: ^^^truthbomb

holy shit this thread

amazing stuff

nice to see fairfield, IA come into the mix. everybody calls them the "floaters".

i believe greg brown wrote a song about it.

Pleased to see local ChILX hero Alan Salami itt.

― gonna give her the old fuquay-varina (Jenny), Thursday, February 2, 2012 9:53 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

tell us more!!

otm-- also a little suspect that a lot of these people seem to be constantly moving around from continent to continent like 21st century grifters

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:26 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

just gonna drop by here and say that among all the stuff gr80 sent me in the last couple of days, this was the thing that jumped out at me the most.

for instance, the video of the guy who claimed that he moved to the remote thai jungle to... become an internet marketer?

most of these dudes seem like they're always one step ahead of the law/their creditors/angry people they've scammed.

or try reading through the endless list of awesomeness fest speakers or attendees or whatever this is:
http://www.awesomenessfest.com/meet-the-tribe/

do a ctrl-f for "serial entrepreneur." or just count the mentions of all the businesses these people have started and "removed themselves from" or "moved on" from.

also do a ctrl-f for "honey badger" and tell me if you understand what that phrase means. is it some sort of code or

You can sing "Death and the Maiden" by the Verlaines with "Alan Salami" instead of "Death and the Maiden" and it will make you laugh. That is one thing.

the name "alan salami" is funny enough on its own, it really doesnt need any help

s1awckee

yes i don't get the "honey badger" thing, what is with that

hunting around, is "honey badger don't give a shit" a meme? or something

feel like we could do a whole ws of shame pollthread w/ this page:

http://www.awesomenessfest.com/meet-the-tribe/

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:21 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah :/

s1ocki: see what happens when you ditch ilx? you miss huge memes like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

u dont have to be on ilx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-e4vu_wL-M

http://www.awesomenessfest.com/meet-the-tribe/

ctrl + f "reiki" - found

If you want to understand how a small atom can create a weapon of mass destruction, Cecilia is one small packet that will show you how. Bursting with energy and secret Aikido powers, she is a health freak and has the flexibility of a rubber string. Cecilia is an SEO specialist and the co-founder of Mindvalley Italy. At a young age, she built up one of the top SEO consultancies in Italy with a loyal fan following. When she is not turning around businesses, she is getting dirty with life changing products and raising consciousness of the country of pizza and pasta.

wtf is going on with this fallen world

ugh this is ultimately so depressing

also try googling these dudes - they are so SEOed its impossible to find anything but their official shit

Aydika James
http://i.imgur.com/zDbVl.jpg

Writer, dancer, dot-connector, yogi and travel junkie, Aydika is part glam, part geek, and all fire. Growing up as a set-monkey in her father’s video production company, she eventually combined her skills into a snowball of sales, marketing, event and project management, creative and technical writing, international wine export, modeling, dance, “Authentic PR,” illustration and men’s style consulting. Today, she’s honored to build, play and give with some the world’s top masterminds, as Communications Samurai for Yanik Silver’s Maverick Business Adventures®. Ice cream and adventure aside, her true joy is helping people laugh, connect and shine to their ultimate potential — to live A Life Alive.

hjaskghdfkj;asjf;lwKLDSLAKDF;LSKJ;LKDLkl;xzkl;klas;lcks;l

frinstance i googled one of these dude's moneymaking scheme + "scam" and got hundreds of fake wordpress pages

i want to cut and paste every single one

oh god oh god oh god

Shulé Houlihan

Shulé is a stage performer, author, and teacher who as a youth spent seven years backpacking the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa where she muscled an Enfield motorcycle through the Himalayas, learned to meditate under the same Bodhi tree as the Buddha, was kidnapped in Pakistan, faced an angry mob in India, survived a massive flood in Cambodia, and was gang raped in Spain. These mesmerizing stories are the basis for her upcoming book and live presentation “For The Strength of Men: a One Woman Show”.

frinstance i googled one of these dude's moneymaking scheme + "scam" and got hundreds of fake wordpress pages

― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:48 PM (17 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha nice

LIVE A LIFE ALIVE®

wait what xxp

...and was gang raped in Spain.

UH

ya that was the double-take moment

“Destroy Normal” is the saying Taylor lives by. Here is a brief timeline of Taylor’s life: Age 20 – hired as North America’s youngest professional firefighter. Age 24 – picks up real estate on the side and becomes the highest grossing new agent in the country and joins the top one percentile in North America. Age 27 – removes himself from his business, travels the world, and following a trip to Africa, decides to devote his life to philanthropy and social enterprise. Age 29 – uses his business background to create a system that enables anyone to raise $10,000 for charity in under 3 hours. Age NOW – looking forward to speaking at Awesomeness Fest where (for the first time) he will “tell all” about how to raise $1,000,000 to build over 100 schools in Africa to empower hundreds of thousands of people… in less than a day.

^ lots going on here

and was gang raped in Spain.

is this for fucking serious

Apparently that is a "mesmerising story". Jesus fuck.

this is going to be like deathdrone, isn't it

haha oh no *stares into abyss*

Dawn Nicole Hoang

Dawn is a channel and intuitive coach to several CEOs. She is also the head of the Modern Mystery School for the Southern California Region. Dawn teaches classes on channeling and mysticism.

uh ok i looked that up:

http://mms.new-paradigm.net/

http://www.zynniatv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/THE-LOVE300.jpg

At the age of 20, Nick was living the life of a rockstar traveling the world in one of Australia’s most popular bands, Sneaky Sound System. At 26 when his super cute son Leo was born, Nick made the switch to real estate (he did what!) and in 4 short years was awarded the top sales person in Australia with an average sale price of $7M.

(he did whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!)

i wish i could remember exactly how my former roommate phrased her central Landmark metaphor--something about building a foundation for a house that she used for every real-life situation. Mordy, do you remember anything about this?

Have not heard this metaphor, sorry...

lol now i want a comedic series based based on motivational speakers in the style of Party Down

Up In The Air should have been about George Clooney's motivational speaking.

(he did what!)

http://mms.new-paradigm.net/sites/default/files/lifeactbutton_home.jpg

*clicks*

(Get a what!)

(what!)

frinstance i googled one of these dude's moneymaking scheme + "scam" and got hundreds of fake wordpress pages

― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Thursday, February 2, 2012 7:48 AM (1 minute ago)

this is going to be like deathdrone, isn't it

― horseshoe, Thursday, February 2, 2012 7:51 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha oh no *stares into abyss*

― lag∞n, Thursday, February 2, 2012 7:51 AM (17 seconds ago)

on that note I would like to fully disclose to the ILX community that while I briefly considered starting this thread on 77, it was a very conscious decision to post it on a publicly-viewable board.

namaste.

the thing is i think i'm translating her totally incomprehensible metaphor to one that makes more sense to me...it was all about laying foundations for good relationships but the metaphor wasn't of building a house it was something i could never make any sense of and of course i've completely forgotten it. she would just walk around our suite saying so many things and i could understand none of them! it was genuinely scary. i was young, i guess, but it was like invasion of the body snatchers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aew4qoWSFY8&feature=related

so, what do we think? husband? brother?

Malek Houlihan

Malek is a veteran musician and storyteller who has performed over 1,200 times in 9 countries. He began lecturing on stage at seven years old and was one of the first musical acts officially sponsored by Myspace. ‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper the memoirs that weave through his unique live show. He has been featured on Warped Tour, MTV, NPR, Brain World, independent films, and major magazines.

^ the abyss xp

I've spent most of my professional life fighting these frauds.

on that note I would like to fully disclose to the ILX community that while I briefly considered starting this thread on 77, it was a very conscious decision to post it on a publicly-viewable board.

namaste.

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:54 PM (4 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha was just thinking abt what yr decision making process on that one mustve been

ctr-f "success" - found 28 times

‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper the memoirs that weave through his unique live show.

cool story

I've spent most of my professional life fighting these frauds.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:55 PM (45 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

What work do you do?

Mike started and failed his fair share of companies and projects before building the successful tech muscle called Tech Guys Who Get Marketing. Tech Guys, as it’s usually called, specializes in helping companies increase their efficiency with technology, with a keen eye for marketing.

successful tech muscle

it is truly amazing how much these people talk about marketing without ever mentioning what the product is they're marketing

"one of the first musical acts officially sponsored by Myspace"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is truly amazing how much these people talk about marketing without ever mentioning what the product is they're marketing

― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:58 PM (19 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://i.imgur.com/44JR5.png

they're no sneaky sound system.

What work do you do?

Our student media department falls under a certain university division known for and expected to produce motivational twaddle. Before this I worked at a local bookstore whose biggest source of revenue (after travel guides and dictionaries) was New Age campfire fodder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7KUP2oI9V8

http://s22.mindvalley.us/awesomenessfest/media/images/screen_shot_2011-08-05_at_1.12.25_am.png

Jonathan Budd

Jonathan Budd’s mission in life is to contribute in any way possible to the global shift that must happen on this planet, in order for humanity to create a sustainable, just, & fulfilling future for all. Combining powerful spiritual and transformation principles with the game of making money… he teaches his students how to go BEYOND the surface when it comes to their goals in life… and tap into a much deeper & meaningful fulfillment that comes when making money is about something much more than just making money. Having earned his first $10,000,000 by age 26, & being recognized as one of the most influential leaders in the world of home business… Jonathan is just getting started bringing this message to the world.

Jonathan "Fedora" Budd

making money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making moneymaking money is about something much more than just making money

more than just about making money making money making money $10,000,000

lolol xpost

his first $10,000,000! that proverbial first $10,000,000.

Editor of Mindvalley’s FinerMinds Network, Leanne (a.k.a. Bee) has a penchant for graffiti-print Converse, poetry slams and hard hitting drum & base.

hoos maybe you oughta...

global shift

planet

humanity

making money making money making money making money making money making money

real actual TED connect!

Cindy Gallop

Cindy Gallop’s background is brand building, marketing and advertising – she started up the US office of ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York in 1998 and in 2003 was named Advertising Woman of the Year. She is the founder and CEO of www.IfWeRanTheWorld.com, a web meets world platform designed to turn good intentions into action one microaction at a time, which launched in beta with a demo at TED 2010, and of www.makelovenotporn.com, launched at TED 2009.

ok one more

Kelsey Grant

Kelsey Grant is an intuitive healer, relationship coach and group facilitator. Her life’s calling is to work with those who are ready to venture onto their path of awakening and lovingly support them in their journey. Some of her favourite healing and coaching tools she draws her healing work from are subconscious re-programming, meditation, crystal healings, oracle readings, healing touch and conscious creation scripting. The three principals Kelsey operates from each day are Love, Intimacy and Inspiration. You can count on her for a kind word, a burst of positive energy, a good heart mist and a deep soul sista connection.

what in hell is that

omar, i don't want to minimize your experience with this but this is all pretty much not true. it's is a semi-offshoot of scientology in the sense of werner erhard did scientology before "inventing" Est (which is what Landmark really is an offshoot of). but they don't promise to get rid of all negative energy, you're not supposed to let all your secrets out while talking at a seminar (they're pretty rigidly organized and are mostly lecture-based), you don't talk away the pain, they don't make you teach courses, and it is not only not suggested that you cut out negative people from your life but the organization is primarily designed around improving people's relationships w/ family members / people in their actual real lives. I've done courses with Landmark (tho not for many years) and I've literally heard ppl in positions of leadership tell groupies, "If you do this course and what you get out of it is you start to hang out and Landmark with all your new Landmark friends, you've basically wasted your time. It's only of value if you use it in your life."

Re: what "it" is, is primarily (it seems to me) basic continental philosophy and I suspect it's not dissimilar to those practical philosophy courses they advertise on the MTA subway.

nb I think it fits really nicely on this thread but if we're going to talk about it we're should probably talk about what it actually is and not call it a super-cult. And I'm sure your friends did ostracize you bc of Landmark, but I know that isn't encouraged at all.

― Mordy, Thursday, 2 February 2012 14:00 (3 hours ago) Permalink

eh it's a pyramid scheme w/definitely creepy elements that people take the wrong way and sure it's not "encouraged" but it's so high-pressure that it's basically culty and anything this particular strain of "self-help" that people think it AMAZING is really not, because it's a con game imo. people should give themselves more credit for their improvement, and i think w/r/t things like this they tend to, like i said, get dead-eyed. i've known more than two people involved, fwiw. i've just had two close friends who turned particularly high-pressure. the others were just a bit obnoxious about it.

this is actually my favourite, everything about it is amazing:

Ewa Wysocka is Mindvalley’s top secret, clandestine, underground marketing super weapon. Co-founder of Mindvalley Poland, Eva and her team will singlehandedly revive the Eurozone with their infusion of entrepreneurial resources and education. She is also a leading contender for the next James Bond movie villian…the one where James Bond switches sides due to Eva’s superior marketing and influence skills and the audience roots for her instead. Known affectionately as Mindvalley’s very own Honey Badger due to her incredible persistence in the face of challenges, deadlines and ability to laugh in the face of adversity.

She is also a leading contender for the next James Bond movie villian…the one where James Bond switches sides due to Eva’s superior marketing and influence skills and the audience roots for her instead.

she should maybe see a doctor about that

xxp about "heart mist"

i don't want to nitpick bc i think you have a legitimate claim against it - i think participants can be obnoxious and i think that people should give themselves more credit for their improvement. it isn't a pyramid scheme, tho, since participants don't get any kickback for enrolling new people in the course. xxxp

I think they meant "good hard fist".

my wife's ex pressured her on landmark too, i think it was a tipping point towards breakup (that and a particularly terrible halloween costume, which is another story for another thread.)

lol emil.y

man i heard the new james bond movie is supposed to be really weird

don't want to derail the thread but I have friends who have gotten really into AA over the past couple years and they are now moving closer and closer to shit like this

it's basically a pyramid scheme that doesn't help you but helps the group, then. i know plenty of people here in l.a. (which is admittedly perhaps more obnoxious about it and here it's more culty perhaps) who have experienced it and the ones who are acolytes are, of course, super into it (which is stupid imo) and the ones who have friends who have gone that route share similar tales of them changing for the worse w/r/t being a spokesperson or recruiter waaaaay too often.

wait there's repeats

Malek Houlihan

Professional musician who has logged over 1,100 lifetime performances in 9 countries. His music is heard in film, on TV and radio, and he has a vast loyal following. Malek is also deemed one of the “Greatest Storytellers” on stage and his story his mysteriously overcoming brain injury will move you to tears.

awesomeness anonymous?

his story his mysteriously overcoming brain injury will move you to tears.

what

http://www.silvamethod.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silva_Method

the displayname Critique of Pure Moods (goole) is the one bright spot in this thread, ty for that.

deemed one of the (quote)Greatest Storytellers(endquote)

man i heard the new james bond movie is supposed to be really weird
irl lols

why is the language of these things so technical and so meaningless? is it trying to sound scientific? it bothers me so much!

overcoming brain injury

Read this as overcomBing brain injury. Which would indeed be mysterious.

i'm going to re-post this for those who may have missed it last nite:

so far, my favorite Mindvalley product is QUANTUM JUMPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just watch this interview Vishen did at the home of Burt Goldman, developer of the Quantum Jumping method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTmeK52xec

http://www.quantumjumping.com/special/meet-burt-goldman

1) count how many times they mention money
2) be sure to watch till 6:43. I promise you won't be disappointed.

― ⚓ (gr8080), Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:02 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

somehow i didn't think this thread could get creepier but i am thoroughly creeped out now and wish i could unknow what i have read

thank you for posting this thread here, gr8080. entertaining stuff i couldn't have seen otherwise :-)

bing brain injury, find malek

Mindvalley seems like taking green advertising to an extreme ... pretty gross to play on peoples' moral instincts to extract $$$million$$$ out of them. tut tut, etc.

mind valet

'my god youre prolific... at coming up w/this stuff'

The Honey Badger stuff in the bios is just for SEO, don't you think?

i do like how old that dude is, seems very difft from the unspoken cult of youth stuff going on

The Honey Badger stuff in the bios is just for SEO, don't you think?

mind is blown

holy shit the facebook convos @ quantumjumping are like irl bill hitchert stuff

'my god youre prolific... at coming up w/this stuff'

― lag∞n, Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:18 PM

haha that stuck out to me too

^epitaph for this entire movement, if you can effortlessly pretend to be in possession of one meaningless skill why not 20, quantum jumping is kinda the ultimate cause u just beg the universe to bestow expertise upon you

the story of how he learned to become a photographer in just five days is amazing

'plant your feet' 'take lots of pictures'

'to date hes been in at least ONE International photography hall of fame'

"so far he's been in at least one, international photography hall of fame."

lol xp

ha, it is impressive

yeah but guys: dog+piano

just watched the vid, and sorry dudes but I actually kind of think if its just about thinking something dumb so you can try and make art that's fine kind of?

But then when it comes to basking in the monetization of everything and spreading the horrible thought process that led you to make what you've made then it becomes indefensible?

http://sht.tl/EGI

i wanna see him quantum jump into some skills that actually take a significant investment in education/skill - like why can't he quantum jump into learning judo?

well that might be next

he should've held the footage until then

his grandkids are going to go to 10 colleges, that is crazy

ok I obv didn't get to the piano yet before I posted my last post

none of these guys can hold a candle to braco. quantumleaping? don't need it. this guy just stands and looks at people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJfsdXzgqg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJfsdXzgqg

Braco never speaks, but if you look into his eyes you can hear his heart.

holllllllly shit

its the https thats preventing ilx from embedding fyi, not sure why u need secure utubes

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGkeJxclnFE&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGkeJxclnFE&feature=related

Braco never speaks, but if you look into his eyes you can hear his heart.

I made that video. :)

haha wut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqV0q_cHtRE&feature=related

lol sedona

id be way more into that hugging guru than the gazing one *hugs!*

just watched the vid, and sorry dudes but I actually kind of think if its just about thinking something dumb so you can try and make art that's fine kind of?

But then when it comes to basking in the monetization of everything and spreading the horrible thought process that led you to make what you've made then it becomes indefensible?

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Thursday, February 2, 2012 8:27 AM (12 minutes ago)

totally otm-- also taking it to the next level and turning "thinking something dumb" into a PRODUCT that you then market to people....

I've seen the hugging guru irl, when I was younger, it was a very scary/dumb experience, basically any indian kind of thing filled with white people freaks me the fuck out no offense, lotta indian people there too though

did u get a hug tho, ive heard theyre amazing hugs

my little cousin burst into tears when she entered the room the hugging guru was in

haha wut

It seems to have been accepted into the Braco canon, so now lots of spiritual nutjobs have listened to Oneohtrix Point Never.

BRACO (pronounced braht-zo) is LIVESTREAMING from maui, hawaii feb 14-15

Now people around the world can participate in a gazing session with Braco through the Live Streaming experience.

Magique says:
November 17th, 2010
1:32 pm

I hope that Braco can gaze at us through the computer on a regular basis — through Skype or similar. This is my hope for myself and others — especially for those who cannot travel to see Braco. If he wants to reach a lot of people, this is the best way.

now u can jerk it while gazing at braco

the hug line was too long so I got free food w/ my family and left, we went there based on other fam convincing us to go, the car ride home was really quiet, all my mom kind of said was "I didn't know it would be like this, never listen to someone who wants to be worshipped"

Q: I only have Wi-fi. Will the Gaze still work without the recommended direct connection? Will the stream still work?

A: Yes, the Gaze always flows, but if you don’t have a strong, plug in connection there are no guarentees that there will be no interference to the livestream. As one who tries nearly nightly to Skype with Braco from a shaky wi-fi connection, constantly, I know that a plug in option would be a much nicer experience. The connection often breaks apart and it can be frustrating, but we live off-grid with no options so I keep trying. Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes I resort to the phone instead of throwing my computer out the window. Follow your heart, but know it’s the difference between using an old black and white TV set with rabbit ears and being plugged into cable receiving information from a Satellite dish. This technology is only as good as your best computer connection.

the Gaze must flowwwwwwww~

don't gaze me bro

because hug lady was dressed like some godesses I forget which xxxp

it's not limited to white people loving indian things.

there's a whole giant hunk of upper-middle class people protestants who are casual buddhists and practice 'self-work' and also yoga w/o any conviction beyond a vocal committment and seem to like the mystical orientalizing cachet of the whole thing and eat so many chia seeds

commitment

It seems to have been accepted into the Braco canon, so now lots of spiritual nutjobs have listened to Oneohtrix Point Never.

wow, didn't realize it was Oneohtrix Point Never, thought it was some Braco homebrew stuff... fits perfectly with that video

the hug line was too long so I got free food w/ my family and left, we went there based on other fam convincing us to go, the car ride home was really quiet, all my mom kind of said was "I didn't know it would be like this, never listen to someone who wants to be worshipped"

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:45 PM (5 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

man ur the second person ive talked to who got weirded out and didnt stay for the hug, i ask u whats the point if you dont stay for the hug, ive heard theyre the best hugs

visit ur local cop-a-feel guru

there's a whole giant hunk of upper-middle class people protestants who are casual buddhists and practice 'self-work' and also yoga w/o any conviction beyond a vocal committment and seem to like the mystical orientalizing cachet of the whole thing and eat so many chia seeds

― "renegade" gnome (remy bean), Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:46 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://assets.bostatic.com/images/splash-site/facebook_thumbnails/o2012_fbthumb_areyouin.jpg

i kid, i kid

I went to hug lady for the same reason I still go to temples when I visit my family, I was just along for the ride I guess. Although when I was in india once I went to an ancient temple that was just little crude statues carved within these underground caves you had to crawl through that was pretty cool. Prob the only really cool temple experience

the personal development leader/artist reminds me of a friend talking about how jealous he was of people who didn't know how terrible their writing/art/etc. was - how it must be freeing to think that everything you paint is a masterpiece.

bit about his art appreciating is particularly lolsome, given that most work even by established artists represented in NY/London galleries doesn't actually appreciate in value

this thread is incredible, thank you gr8080

the lifecoach meme, it is trending: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/fashion/should-a-life-coach-have-a-life-first.html

don't know if this article is even more terrifying for being more 'grounded':

She has since built a base of 10 clients, including a 48-year-old woman who, until recently, was living in denial of the fact that she has diabetes.

“It was a very difficult breakthrough for her, she was crying,” Ms. Messinger, who charges from $25 to $75 an hour, recalled of a recent session with the client. “I just made her aware of more options, like maybe you can try Splenda.”

i can barely keep up w/ this thread, but i'm lovin it.

btw i'm not really a fan of adam curtis but his 'century of the self' series goes on a long detour about the new age movement, particularly landmark. his overall 'thesis' is dubious but there is some good footage in there.

oh god

xp

man

More than 30 American universities have introduced coaching programs, including Harvard, Yale, Duke, New York University, Georgetown, the University of California at Berkeley, Penn State, the University of Texas at Dallas and George Washington.

what

http://www.silvamethod.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silva_Method

― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Thursday, February 2, 2012 8:13 AM (34 minutes ago)

i almost posted these to the "shit that should be a tim & eric skit" thread.

DO NOT SLEEP ON THESE VIDEOS-- watch at least a minute or two of each:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nOCfnyIhVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsDqI9MqVbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hluTuToV2f8

v v interesting to see their whole marketing vibe/image ~approach~ before hooking up w/ Vishen and Mindvalley.

wow

thank you for your breathing advice, facially-enunciating weirdly leather jacket sporting budget daniel craig

was wondering if Braco was going to come up here! ha!

there's a whole universe of bizarro spiritualist/healer/alien-contactee type people on youtube. i found a pretty amazing example once but i can't find it anymore! i thought i put it on damage contrlolz but i guess not.

that stuff is fairly removed from new age life coach ish tho, more millienial than self-improving. some of it seriously home-made and sorry-ass looking. you wonder who could be awed by any of it.

the key diff seems to be $$$! aside from youth and sex all the shit on this thread seems to be about making money.

this dude is an alien/healer type: http://www.siriusascension.com/

but yeah it's a different kind of crazy to the pyramid scheme self help SEO nightmare of this thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTidVjdtOwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYk7V4BxP-U&feature=related

http://laurahamesfranklin.com/

narration on those Silva Method is truly avant. they put the stresses on precisely the wrong word in each sentence in this way that is so hypnotic that it keeps you listening

'by being in a relaxed state, we are able to absorb information faster and better'

'instead of being aggressive, and forcing them to learn the verbs, lazonoff played classical music which created a soothing atmosphere.'

So unclean! So unclean! Must cleanse myself with a big dose of:

http://edu.glogster.com/media/4/34/88/92/34889298.jpg

xp the narrator sounds like a text-to-speech program

lol there are some outlier TED Talks that are suspicious

― mh, Thursday, February 2, 2012 9:38 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The business development/futurism/positivity/self improvement axis is a slippery slope.

TED is basically just an extension of the whole self-help continuum. This TED talk really creeped me out: http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

At the end, Bill Gates comes out and christens this guy the future of education.

And then I went and viewed one of his videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69rDtSpshAw

And it was horrible. You get the feeling that Gates and Reese the rest of the education reform crowd watched What the #$*! Do We Know and were all like get the unions out of our way and let us unleash our mind powers on the kids. Here are truckloads of money. Clear your Thetans, educators!

The half-cocked shit these guys say in public totally reminds me of the whole who moved my cheese Tony Robbins realistate scam bullshit. You can hear the whole crowd laugh in that video above when that guy snidely remarks that (omg) the teachers were actually willing to work with him instead of being a bunch of wet blankets (as usual) about his mind-bending youtube breakthrough.

I always get a creepy asexual vibe from a lot of this stuff

Is there a sex component? Are these people going at it like rabbits? Does the self-help spiritual aesthetic justify free love?

Can I get at it?

elephant in the room^

^ otm, this has got to be a sex thing

xxx-post

Yeah I get pissed off any time someone is like "whooa, the existing system wouldn't let us affect REAL CHANGE" because I'm in a technical work field in a corporation and any time we say "uh I don't think you want to spend your dollars making a mobile app for every possible platform and this is not secure" the businesspeople are like "YOU'RE AGAINST AFFECTING REAL CHANGE" and then they hire consultants to throw together halfassed shit we'll have to support and eventually rework to the tune of a bazillion dollars

omg those silva videos. breathing is good for your brain, what an insight

i have zero evidence to support this theory but i am of the belief that Vishen fucks no less than 6 different women at each Awesomeness Fest.

just look @ the "pirate party" YouTube in my OP again, then listen to him go on about how they need to decide if Awesomeness Fest and you are "a good fit"

It's either like, do things a completely structured way like THE MAN WANTS or go to a third-party completely outside the company.

Kind of like working in the SYSTEM for the MAN or finding your guru out there. Only you already pay a bunch of people who have the guru ideas but ignore them.

Vishen is my guru now

also I died at brain tapping

p. sure that any made-up physiospiritual exercise can gain some traction with people as long as you ask them to concentrate on their breathing in the process, since you know breathing deeply feels nice.

"OK now exhale as you put your other hand into the bowl of Jell-O and visualize yourself on a jetski."

The first thing a friend said when I sent him the link to this thread was:

whoa this mindvalley thing is fucking with me
look, I know it's bullshit, but all i see is a room full of hot chicks

re: sex thing

Take another look at that group photo of the MindValley in Kuala Lumpur. Even if they are not humping like rabbits, the allure of attractive toothy youth so thick you have to wave away the fumes to keep a level head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn2LndCLcNk

some sad canadians :/

This thread has destroyed my productivity.

lol i just looked at the mindie kniss website, and for real took a second to realize this was not a will farrell character:

http://restartyourheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rollin_mccraty1.jpg

my theory: i think a lot of this stuff is built to address the fact that the world is an incredibly complicated place with incredibly complex systems that are overwhelming. like, how does the economy work? how do hedge funds work? how does property get bought, sold? how does energy get made, distributed, refined, etc? like thousands of these questions that directly impact our day to day lives that are completely obscure to 99% of human beings. at best we work in an industry and learn about our industry and have some insight into this tiny piece of the puzzle. i get the feeling that a lot of these ppl don't even have experience with a tiny sliver of how things work. So they have a revelation that stuff must happen, not because of negotiations and relationships and developing actual technology, but by some magical force of mystical will, that if you dream if you can make it, etc. of course, this revelation isn't actually true and doesn't qualify them to actually do anything but continue to talk about, teach, attend seminars about mystical will power, etc. and shit is just getting more complex. and the more complex it gets, the more we're gonna see stuff like this.

and maybe that's not so bad bc if robots replace all of our factory jobs we need to have all these young ppl do something, and if they're gathering in bright rooms to talk about how energized they are, and unleashing the potential of the human body, then they're not idk breaking things. which, like, i think is the fundamental tension. it's hard to stay positive when there's so much shit in the world, so as humans we've developed an industry focused on staying positive. (nb this trend bodes poorly for political revolution.)

how is babby formed?

So they have a revelation that stuff must happen, not because of negotiations and relationships and developing actual technology, but by some magical force of mystical will, that if you dream if you can make it, etc.

To be fair, you just described the basis of a fairly large portion of historical religious thought

tldr it's all about alienation

O! Brave new world that has such people in't.

i'm kinda sympathetic. there's a huge stench of desperation coming off a lot of the ppl being to linked to in this thread

lol TED talks...there are some great ones on there, but occasionally i'll start watching one someone has linked too and it's a little o_O

great post, Mordy. thanks.

and by "thanks" i mean "Namaste"

when there was talk of hotels upthread and beach parties in the evenings for these things, it makes me wonder...

gr8080, have you worked one of these things?

like i was saying, "some of it seriously home-made and sorry-ass looking. you wonder who could be awed by any of it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyubQ56usII

unbelievable

http://www.webtvwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/quantum-leap.jpg

xxpost: not really.

i've had to do a little bit of work w/ rich dad poor dad seminars and other "wealth building" and "EZ Trading" seminars... its funny tho because for as much wealth as they all build they are pretty reliably some of my cheapest clients.

on the other side of this (ie: the cult side that is not contemporary at all but historical) the book When Prophesy Fails is classic sociological text about why ppl believe crazy shit

Magical thinking is pretty common. It's like a shortcut in our brains that's very hackable.

i have zero evidence to support this theory but i am of the belief that Vishen fucks no less than 6 different women at each Awesomeness Fest.

just look @ the "pirate party" YouTube in my OP again, then listen to him go on about how they need to decide if Awesomeness Fest and you are "a good fit"

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:36 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

and all the dudes look so schlubby and dippy...

all right this sorta o/t now, on the alien culty end, but wtf

http://www.youtube.com/user/Komurosan

1937 uploads!

(i wonder if that's the source of that one sample on the death grips record?)

rich dad poor dad

uuurggh

Magical thinking is pretty common. It's like a shortcut in our brains that's very hackable.

― Unleash the Chang (he did what!) (Austerity Ponies), Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:58 PM

http://www.kipnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/carlos_castaneda.jpg

loved those books when i was 13

I think I read the Illuminatus Trilogy when I was like 14, that kind of ruined me

1937 uploads!

― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Thursday, February 2, 2012 10:01 AM (14 minutes ago)

lagoon touched on this earlier, but internet 2.0/social networking is really what brought them out of the wilderness and clothed, bathed, and fed them. now they are reproducing at an alarming rate and breaking down the walls.

I just read through this thread and I believe you people are highly naive.

This is not an occult science. This is not one of those crazy systems of divination and astrology. That stuff's hooey, and you've got to have a screw loose to go in for that sort of thing.

The beliefs of The Silva Method, Mind Valley and yes, even Sam Stephenson's are fairly commonplace and very simple to understand:

Humankind is simply materialized color operating on the 49th vibration.

You would make that conclusion walking down the street or going to the store.

I'm out.

Peter

haha I was thinking abt that scene earlier reading this thread

we shd probably mention the libertarian yoga murderer people here

No, ladies and gentlemen, we don't ride around on broomsticks and wear pointy hats. Well, we don't ride on broomsticks.

goole u will be pleased to know that lululemon is all-in on landmark

!

what is lululemon?

http://gawker.com/5859867/lululemon-run-by-ayn-rand+obsessed-ideologue

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/jayna-murray-alive-during-322-injuries-prosecutor/2011/11/02/gIQAtVxgfM_blog.html

my ex worked at lululemon and was pretty stoked on how empowering their internal meetings were

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/39e6400823e4f16e5a23045d4a1ca9d8/887525.jpg

^^^This was my favorite album as a v young child

http://i.imgur.com/YQ9ry.png

Make fun all you want, you all just sound like a bunch of saddos on the sidelines while out here we're the ones purposefully galactivating the love-based economy and backrubs are a primo way to get started

I meant to type 'prismatic' not primo - damn you autocorrect

http://getsatisfaction.com/mindvalley/topics/is_mindvalley_a_reputable_company_or_a_scam

http://getsatisfaction.com/mindvalley/topics

PLease contact me on contact (at) mindvalley.com and in the start of the email say, "please forward to Vishen"

i want to help you but just not enough to give you my email addr

mind at mindvalley dot com

http://i.imgur.com/KkkjX.png

dying @ "Hi Cactus."

http://www.gratitudelog.com/

http://i.imgur.com/XM497.png

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/mindvalley-c303298.html

"Chief Delighter"

http://getsatisfaction.com/mindvalley/topics/no_response_to_refund_request_getting_more_than_annoyed

The excercise was rediculous as all you hear is Burt's voice. There is no relaxation music or sounds such as rain/water or ocean and no binureal beats. Nothing but Burts voice. A few times he stammers on words which is frustrating as you are trying to relax, and a few times I was 'jolted' to attention in my mind because I heard some sort of foreign background noise, like intercom sounds or a door closing.

xD

boost a gratitude log

suggest binureal

haha amon i c+p the same part

water or ocean

seriously I'm about ready to make a 5 CD set of brown noise, make a dynamic promotional video and fancy packaging, and sell it on the internet for $49.

no no lamp, rain SLASH water OR ocean

http://oi44.tinypic.com/16ku9v4.jpg

binureal beats

"Chief Delighter", what a crock. You are delighting yourself, nobody else.

http://i.imgur.com/8XxaX.gif

http://getsatisfaction.com/mindvalley/topics/you_guys_are_a_horrible_joke

Aaand my Braco video got taken down due to copyright claims.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/satisfaction-production/public/uploaded_images/3180322/sabri-me_large.jpg

Aaand my Braco video got taken down due to copyright claims.

― polyphonic, Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:06 PM (59 seconds ago)

it begins.

http://i.imgur.com/43t6P.png

Hi,

I have sent four emails to Mindvalley requesting a refund for Quantum Jumping and a further two emails requesting the same from the so-called Customer Happiness Manager "Alexandra Williams" (support for quantum jumping) and have not received a response or reply from either.

I purchased Quantum Jumping as a last resort in the hope that it could help me out in a desperate situation. Some chance of that!

I explained that Quantum Jumping has done absolutely nothing for me. I have some experience with meditation and I can honestly say that I believe Burt Goldman to be a very clever scam artist who (just like Mindvalley.com) take advantage of the desperate and needy.

You can see just how avaricious they are by the way that they market their products. Yes, their websites do look very nice- but that's the whole purpose.

As you pay for a product from them, you do not get directed to the download area - oh no! Instead, they then offer you another add on for the product that you just purchased, which then leaves us with an incomplete product.

Notice that there is no mention of this before you make your initial purchase. You are then forced to spend even more money to get the full program. If you decline to purchase the second offer, they have they audacity to try to still further sell you another product before directing you to the downnload area.

What kind of greedy-eyed parasites are they? They want to take as much money from us in the shortest possible space of time.

If they had any kind of decency about them and were truly sincere in trying to help us, then they'd at least give us a chance to get to grips with one product at a time and allow us some time to digest it and then later make other offers available to us.

We are not computers that you can just feed terabytes of data and expect us to make sense of it in such a small period of time.

I have since opened a dispute with Paypal in the hope that they would take some notice, as they clearly have no intention of refunding my payment. I it has been six days now and it's obvious that they are just ignoring my emails.

I honestly now believe that Mindvalley.com and Burt Goldman are low life scumbags that stuff their wallets with the pennies of the poor.

I recently read a saying that is commonly used by marketing gurus in the so-called marketing gurus club such as these marketers. It goes something like this:

"Get 'em on the tit and NEVER stop charging for the milk!"

They get big, fat and rich selling us a DREAM!

We need to wake up and smell the BS!

Also, before I forget. Mindvalley.com and Burt Goldman offer a full money-back guarantee within 365 days of purchase.

Here’s what’s on their website:

“Rest Assured

Satisfaction Guaranteed

If you’re not satisfied with any item, return it anytime within 365 days for an exchange or refund of its purchase price.”

How do we return a product that is digitally accessed online that has not been physically sent to us?

THAT'S THE SCAM!

I am not about to give in to these clever rip –off merchants. I'll flood the Internet with this story and put up blogs over the entire Net before laying down to this kind of scum.

Best wishes and kind regards.

Tony Marquis

PS: Mindvalley.com and Burt Goldman sell fantasies and dreams to the desperate and needy!

PPS: I will never knowingly purchase another product from Mindvalley.com or from Burt Goldman.

You guys this thread has just reminded me of the dreadful Eckhart Tolle "Power of Now" book my mother gave me once as a bday gift... she said it'd been on Oprah and that immediately got my hackles up but I gave it a read to humour her... and I couldnt finish more than a few chapters, it was so unnerving and creepy!

Then I looked him up on wikipedia and when I read "he underwent, at age 29, an "inner transformation", then spent several years wandering and unemployed "in a state of deep bliss" before becoming a spiritual teacher." I shoved the book in the back of a wardrobe.

so i just saw a trailer for a new paul rudd jennifer aniston movie called uh - Wanderlust? - where they visit a commune with all kinds of nu-age hippies and i guess have lots of sex? it looks pretty bad.

http://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.png

apparently david wain is directing it...

http://i.imgur.com/6Zo00.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/6Zo00.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/6Zo00.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/6Zo00.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/6Zo00.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/Zo84n.png

lol

Chance Schiewe 1 year ago
Been reading the same crap all over the web. Get your shit together mindvalley. Your products sell promises to people looking for more happiness in life, or a path to follow because they are lost. You should be ashamed of the lineup that you sell. Way to take advantage of the weak. On top of that you don't return their money and give child like excuses why or what happened. If I did that with my business it would fail eventually. Maybe you do read/listen to some of your own products. You may think that you will manifest your ideas to others... Not for long when you take advantage of them.
To the people that need or think that they need this type of path or help. Please pick up the phone and call your family or friend. If you don't have that, go find the things that make you smile. Do it yourself. Don't let people that charge you money tell you what to do.
Its called a conflict of interest.

LOL @ http://i.imgur.com/43t6P.png

last one i promise:

http://i.imgur.com/4yf3p.png

gis for "Eckhart Tolle"

http://www.thepointmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Tolleonstumpreduced.jpg

wow!!!

Aaand my Braco video got taken down due to copyright claims.
― polyphonic, Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:06 PM (59 seconds ago)

it begins.

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 6:08 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:)

It was fun while it lasted.

its only started, our journey...

btw polyphonic i sent that to 1m ppl after you posted it on the tim & eric thread... any chance you saved a copy?

I have it saved on my hard drive at home, yes.

: )

GIS for Tolle in general is frightening.. he has one of those strangely flaccid, saggy buddha-like faces that seem so... culty.

It was fun while it lasted.

― polyphonic, Thursday, February 2, 2012 6:47 PM (40 minutes ago)

sorry dude, didn't figure braco would send out his thugs if I posted it.

do u think hes gazing at this thread right now

gazing back just in case fyi

sorry dude, didn't figure braco would send out his thugs if I posted it.

I posted it on ILE before, so no worries.

"By learning a few simple techniques, you can alter your destiny."

Isn't everybody's destiny to die and be forgotten? What techniques does the Silva Method offer to alter that?

I haven't read this thread but when I was in HK this guy was all over the billboards

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

dunno if you can track him back tho

reproduction and the creation of immortal art xp

I love how Silva Method dude's videos are all coooool glitchy ambient techno, and white-tunnel FX to emulate LIFE AFTER DEATH MANNNN

immortal art

no such thing FYI.

btw has anyone mentioned http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_(1995_film)

it seems apposite

close enough? http://www.damninteresting.com/this-place-is-not-a-place-of-honor/ xp