By Jim Bergin, M.A., Gentle Wind Project Cult former member

A book review

gentlewind.jpgHere they go again “ “Caught in the Act of Helping: How a government official destroyed 23 years of effort aimed at producing revolutionary, new stress relief technology” by Mary Miller (aka Moe Miller, Claudia Panuthos, Mary Elizabeth Carreiro, etc. (photo right) of Gentle Wind Project (GWP): aka GW Retreat, Brothers & Sisters of the Spirit World, Family Systems Research Group,  FSRG-I Ching Systems, and on and on) is a sadly predictable diatribe whose only redeeming value is as a pitiful example of cult post-apocalyptic strategy, whereby cult leaders display typical delusions of persecution and distorted reality when they are exposed and “caught in the act of manipulating.”

These delusory responses, as expressed in Miller’s book, arise due to the inevitable conflicts the cult has with reality.  When cults, such as GWP, are exposed by former followers, as well as prosecuted by the justice system, the group and leaders must devise strategies to recreate their prevarications.  Typically, these self-induced perceptions are ones of being surrounded by “peril” whereby the proclaimed enemy seeks to destroy the cult’s and its hapless followers’ path to “save the planet.”  The cult, as usual, attempts to evade all blame, deflecting it to the outside world, as cited on every page of Miller’s missive.

In Miller’s duplicitous fantasy, where anyone with critical views of the cult, and those who don’t perform like Miller’s cult followers, are defamed, GWP and its leaders, the Miller “family” (Tubby, Moe, and the other females living with them), are portrayed as the “poor” victims who only want “to save the world,” but are thwarted when their deceptive dealings are exposed by multiple legal difficulties: one recklessly initiated by the cult leaders themselves; the other by government legal authorities responding to complaints from victims of GWP.  Miller blames the first “assault” on a married couple, Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey (using pseudonyms “Bernie” and “Grady” in her book) “ two former GWP Cult followers and one time so-called GWP Board members (now conveniently cast as having some sort of fictional “catastrophic mental illness,” according to the dissembling author) “ and several international cult watchers and well known cult educators (including Rick Ross, Steve Hassan, and others) who posted Bergin and Garvey’s exposes of seventeen years as GWP followers on their own websites. (In the real world Bergin, Garvey, and the others were defendants, over several years, in federal and state courts, from frivolous lawsuits unwisely concocted against them by the Millers and their GWP Cult).  Bergin and Garvey were assisted in their successful landmark defense “ which in the book Miller fantasizes as a conspiracy “ by Jerrol Crouter, Esq.,  the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University (see Gentle Wind Case Summary http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/1322), and experts with a specialty in cults, Dr. Arthur Dole and Dr. Cathleen Mann.

GWP’s second set of legal problems “ about which the author vainly attempts to transform the Millers from snake oil hustlers to victims throughout tedious pages of indefensible libelous misrepresentations, in the reviewer’s opinion “ came from Maine’s Assistant Attorney General, Carolyn Silsby, Esq., with whom the Millers and GWP subsequently signed a Consent Decree on August 14, 2006 pleading to lesser charges of deceptive practices and misuse of funds, and were summarily told to pack up GWP’s bags of expensive “healing” hockey pucks and obtuse laminated computer-designed cards, return all funds illegally obtained, and leave the state.

Unfortunately, the obsessive disinformation, that continues for 451 pages, doesn’t end there:  Bergin and Garvey are defamed by Miller as somehow able to influence not only Maine’s Attorney General, but national and international media; Federal Judge Gene Carter, who ruled against the Millers in their frivolous federal lawsuit against Bergin and Garvey; Governor John Baldacci; cult recovery experts worldwide; and former GWP followers. Miller’s irrational conspiracy theory goes on ad nauseum maligning anyone outside her convoluted interpretation of reality.  The Millers even condemn their own high priced attorneys. Top government officials are accused of surreptitiously sleeping with each other; Federal Judge Carter is said to be influenced by Maine’s Governor Baldacci, and it only gets worse for those who take the plunge into this circular narcissistic rant.  Miller goes so far as to misappropriate the work of Dr. Robert Jay Lifton “ Distinguished Professor Emeritus, CUNY, Harvard Medical School, contributor to Cultic Studies Review, and past keynote speaker at the International Cultic Studies Association Conference “ on GWP’s behalf.  Anyone familiar with Lifton’s work on brainwashing might find this humorous, if it wasn’t so embarrassingly outrageous and an insult to Lifton.

Many will have sympathy for those long-term followers still trapped in this Alice in Wonderland GWP-hole.  Now morphed back in business under yet another name, this time in Massachusetts, the Millers are up to the usual old scams (see www.life-insights.com).  Mary “Moe” Miller might be seen sporting a new “research” Volvo Cross Country, and John “Tubby” Miller with now-limited success, reportedly attempting his same lurid “energy work” tricks on a former generous female follower/benefactor, and “ if history repeats itself “ on others (see Wind of Changes, www.windofchanges.org).

In sum, this book is a spurious and malevolent attempt to rewrite reality and obfuscate this group’s illegal activities in the eyes of the Millers’ unwitting followers. Researchers into cult behavior and delusions, and legal authorities needing a better understanding of how these groups function, would find this poorly edited trumped-up apologia pro vita sua vanity publication a repetitive and obsessed example of a typical cult strategy to reframe perception, but hardly worthy of the time or price tag.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks – William Shakespeare

Copyright © 2010 Jim Bergin

By Gina Catena

La Gourasana (her name should be sung), a.k.a. Carol Seidman deemed Voice of God for the Miracle of Love cult allegedly passed away on April 18th, 2010 from disseminated intravascular coagulation as complication from renal failure.  She was in her early fifties.

As reported in Kalindi’s online obituary in the Denver Post, “Kalindi was the founder of Miracle of Love Church, creator of the Miracle of Love Seminar, and spiritual leader of the Path to Ultimate Freedom. She came into this life to help thousands of people reestablish their loving relationship with God, and for those who desire it, to break the cycle of birth and death and return Home to God.”

Kalindi’s only daughter, Maha, invited her mother’s followers to participate in a 12-day period of “dedication of celebration of our beloved master Kalindi G.”

Kalindi La Gourasana, previously known by her given name of Carol Seidman, was the widow of the Lord Gourasana whose given name was David Swanson. Swanson as Lord Gouarsana claimed to be an incarnation of God.  Kalindi assumed leadership of the Miracle of Love in 1995 upon the passing of Swanson/ Lord Gourasana.  After her husband’s death, Kalindi claimed to be God’s voice on Earth, speaking for MOL’s Lord Gourasana.

The greatest legacy of Kalindi & Gourasana, is their establishment of the “Miracle of Love Church” (MOL). This cult group has undergone many name changes, and relocations of their central headquarters. Current names include “Miracle of Love Seminar,”  “Twenty First Century Transformation Center,” and “The Seminar.”  Locations are throughout the world.  The largest centers currently seem to be in Colorado, North Carolina and Munich.

An entry level MOL member begins by attending their workshop called “The Seminar” (formerly “The Intensive”) The Seminar is a classic Large Group Awareness Training program using known methods to psychologically break down participants through long hours, emotional public confessionals, strict diet control and strict social control.  This combination over several days or longer changes brain chemistry to render participants more impressionable. A neurochemical high results at the end of this Intensive, similar to a “runner’s high.”  Participants are led to believe that this high is the experience of God and unconditional love, granted them by Kalindi.

Graduates of the Seminar often report they feel reborn, replenished, high, transformed, and newly dedicated to breaking attachments in order to focus upon pursuit of God and “Breaking free” from deemed pain of Earth life.

“Breaking free” in pursuit of God, according to MOL teachings, requires following MOL’s strict lifestyle mandates, including donating ample time and money to their mission.

Insider sources have told stories of Kalindi’s abuse to her inner core of followers, including dictating marriages, divorces and child conceptions. Her extravagant personal habits allegedly included spending over $100,000 annually on her wardrobe by some reports, and an increasing dependency upon chemical substances.

In the early days of MOL, Kalindi often played the dominatrix goddess, ostensibly to break her followers free of preconceived ideas of love and attachment.  Using the lure of freely expressed love without attachments, valued MOL recruits and donors were often rewarded with unconditionally loving partners in gratitude for their devotion to Kalindi’s deemed path to God and ultimate freedom.

Reputedly, MOL’s new figurehead leaders will include Kalindi’s grown daughter, Maha, Racole Tackett and The Lady, amongst others.

Racole Tackett is a therapist and expounded as a spiritual master in MOL.  She is known for using such phrases as “What is about you that makes you feel that way?” to break her clients down, doubt their emotions, and turn increasingly toward MOL directives.

The Lady, another MOL “Master”, plays their example of unconditional love and acceptance, doting upon those who perhaps miss having an idealized mother figure.

Maha Swanson is the beautiful youthful voice, and heir apparent as the only daughter of MOL’s Voice of God.

The Miracle of Love is offering extensive support to their global membership, using their leader’s death to further accentuate group bonding.  MOL’s memorial activities are centralized at their Denver and Munich centers.  Other MOL centers globally are undoubtedly lending their support through this challenging time.

Time will tell how the Miracle of Love transforms itself, its message and marketing for new recruits in the absence of Kalindi’s orchestrations.

With Kalindi’s passing, many MOL members may be mourning the loss of their living godhead.

Others may begin to doubt their spiritual directives, since their Lord Gourasana had promised that Kalindi would have a long life.

Those who choose to leave the MOL now may find themselves in a moment of crises and self-doubt.
A yahoo support group specifically designed for former MOL members and loved ones of MOL members can be accessed by clicking here.

Critical information about MOL may be found through the following links:

Miracle of Love by Jill Kramer, Pacific Sun March 2006

My Life with Miracle of Love (part 1 of 7)

A Warning on Miracle of Love

Miracle of Love, a critical response

The Ross Institute Internet Archives subsection on Miracle of Love

Miracle of Love and cult tactics?

May the MOL members who awaken from their manipulations find appropriate recovery resources and inner freedom. May they learn to stand without a charismatic cult leader directing their thoughts, relationships and behaviors.  The loss of directives from Kalindi La Gourasana and her surviving minions will catalyze their greatest rebirth.

For more Kalindi information:

Podcast of Kalindi can be viewed here

YouTube clips of Kalindi can be viewed here

Note: I am personally indebted to Ms. Carol Seidman in the guise of Kalindi La Gourasana.  My last relationship painfully ended a number of years ago, partially due to the intense devotion of my former partner to Miracle of Love’s teachings and methods.  Thanks to Ms. Seidman’s brilliant orchestrations, I was not only spared what would have been a difficult partnership, but I was fully awakened to the mess of my own cult upbringing in the Transcendental Meditation Movement, led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  Thanks to Ms. Seidman, I belatedly obtained appropriate cult recovery therapy and resources. For that, she has my eternal gratitude. May she rest in peace.

Copyright © 2010 Gina Catena