Me? With the skin infection guy? Nah, he wasn't interested. He was definitely sending mixed signals, though -- standing in my room, one o'clock in the morning, and *insisting* on rolling up his shirt sleeves, to show me his diseased dermis. Then he says, "I'm not contagious", and I was tired, but I think he winked at me when he said it.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Seraphita" <s3raphita@...> wrote: > > When you said, "I was there, briefly", at first I thought you were > referring to the Florida celibate TM men enjoying the adulation of > female movement "groupies" drawn to the hard-to-getness. I was going to > ask you if you got lucky. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@ wrote: > > > > I was there, briefly. The last big course I attended. The > administration and assignment of rooms for participants was > unprofessional, inefficient, and highly political - like some third > world backwater. > > > > After waiting five hours (5:30 PM to 10:30 PM) at the hotel, for my > reserved and paid for, single room, I was finally given a dorm room on > the other side of town, shared with some guy with a skin infection, who > woke me up at 1 AM, to move in. I left the course the next day. > > > > As for the demonstrators mentioned in this article, they must have > phoned it in, because nobody, including me, saw any of them. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson mjackson74@ > wrote: > > > > > > Ex-Followers Demonstrate Against > > > TM > > > > > > From "Grounding > > > the Guru," by Susan Gervasi, City Paper (Washington, DC), 7/13/90; > > > 14,16. > > > > > > > > > More than 800 members of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental > > > Meditation, attending a week-long convention at Washington, DC's > > > Omni-Shoreham Hotel in June, faced the protest of members of TM-EX, > an informal > > > anti-TM group that educates the public about TM and offers "exit > counseling" to > > > those who want out of the movement. > > > > > > > > > One TM-EX, former 15-year follower Curtis Mailloux, a 33-year-old > real estate > > > broker from Fairfax, VA, denounced the organization as a cultist > religion that > > > is exploitative, deceptive, and damaging. Mailloux is a 1979 > graduate of > > > Maharishi International University, in Fairfield, IA, who in 1985 > became head of > > > TM's Washington Center. > > > > > > > > > TM-EXers do not dispute that TM can be an effective relaxation > technique, though > > > they say it is no better than similar relaxation regimens. The > danger in TM, > > > they say, comes when the discipline takes over the meditators' > > > lives. > > > > > > > > > TM-EX member Joe Kelley said: "When we started we were told it was a > simple, > > > effortless technique for releasing stress with no religious > implications. > > > Initially, it was a 20 minute technique." But by taking advanced > residence > > > courses and other activities, "I was effectively made into a Hindu > believer," > > > said Kelley. > > > > > > > > > Former TM teacher Diane Hendel, who has sued the organization for > fraud and > > > extortion, said the many bizarre mental experiences she had were > considered a > > > sign of spiritual superiority. "I saw little creatures with wings" > during > > > intensive meditation periods, she related. "They were like my pets. > They'd tell > > > me things." She was encouraged to believe that these winged beasties > were > > > "devas" -- Hindu spirits of nature. "I began not to be able to tell > who was a > > > person and who was a deva," she said. Hendel sought counseling, > eventually quit > > > meditating, and left the movement. > > > > > > > > > Mailloux said involvement in the movement becomes "a prison of > specialness. > > > Especially as a leader in the movement, there's no way you can leave > this group > > > and be [regarded by other devotees as] OK or leave with dignity... I > was only > > > special as a nervous system which is a 'generator of purity,' not as > an > > > individual." > > > > > > > > > Mailloux's "specialness"earned him three years in Florida with a > group of > > > celibate TM men, living monastically within the movement, where he > enjoyed the > > > adulation of female movement "groupies" drawn to his hard-to-getness > -- a common > > > ego-trip among the celibates, he said. Some movement women with low > self-esteem, > > > he added, tend to get fixated on these celibate men and get milked > for donations > > > to support them. > > > > > >
