When Your Intuition and the Internet Lead You Astray

Posted on January 1, 2022 by George Boyd

Q: What if your intuition tells you gonzo stuff?

A: What your intuition tells you is information. This information may be true or false. Where this changes you is if:

You believe it
You emotionally react to it
You act on the basis of the belief

If my intuition tells me there is an abominable snowman that lives in the thicket outside my house, I might consider that my intuition is playing with me.

But if I believe this is true, it affects my emotions and my behavior:

I might be afraid to go outside because I fear the yeti might kill me and eat me, injure me so I need to go to a hospital, or drag me off to its lair so its children can eat me.
I might walk out the back door, so I avoid the thicket where the yeti lives.

At issue, I have not verified the statement is true—that an abominable snowman actually lives in the thicket. If I do an exhaustive search of the thicket, and there is no trace of Mr. Yeti or his offspring, I might conclude my intuition is tripping, and I might laugh at myself for my gullibility.

When people believe something that isn’t true, it engages their emotions, and may also change their behavior.

If someone is lying to them, they may carry out what the person who is sowing this false narrative wants them to do. We see people manipulated through this means through government propaganda; misleading advertising; the speeches and writing of demagogues, cult leaders, and leaders of hate and terrorist groups. This dissemination of misinformation is rampant on the internet: one “thought leader” can introduce these falsehoods and compromise hundreds—even thousands of people—with a tweet or social media post.

Finding Out What Is True

There are four positions I can take regarding a statement is true, whether I receive it internally from my intuition, or externally through others’ communication:

The statement is true – I have verified its veracity. I conclude the information is reliable.
The statement is false – I have analyzed its message and I have found logical errors, or attempts to deceive me. I conclude the information is not reliable.
The statements truth is unknown – I cannot verify the truth of the statement as the evidence I need to verify it is not available to me. The information may be based on the statements, opinions, testimonials, or beliefs of others, but I cannot independently verify their claims. I conclude the information is not verifiable, and withhold my belief.
The statement is non-sensible and clearly false – The information appears to be the product of fantasy, delusion, or irrationality. I conclude this information is not reliable, and I reject it outright.

Let’s review these four conditions:

In condition A, I am able to prove the statement is true. If I suspect that I have termites in my house, and I find an insect that looks like a termite, I can verify that I do have termites.

In condition B, I am able to prove the statement is false. If a politician tells me that he had the largest crowd size “ever recorded” for his inauguration, and historical records and actual photos of the crowd show that it wasn’t the largest crowd, I reject his statement.

In condition C, there is not enough verifiable information to prove the statement, so I hold it as an unverifiable hypothesis. If someone tells me that there are extraterrestrial bodies in a freezer locker in a secret air force base in the Nevada desert, I have no way of verifying this is true. Maybe this is possible, but I have no way to prove it.

I rather doubt if I ask the guard at the gate of the facility is going to let me in to view them if they were there. For example, if I showed up at the west gate of the base, and told the security officer, who is armed with a high-powered, deadly-accurate automatic weapon, “Oh hi! Hey, I’ve heard that you’ve got ETs in the freezer in here? Mind if I have a look? I promise I won’t take any souvenirs!”

In condition D, the statement is so clearly a statement of fantasy that I can reject it outright. For example, if I told you, “I am Spiderman and I’m actually from the planet Venus,” you would know that I sho’ be trippin’—and you wouldn’t believe me.

Sowing of the Seed

To set up misinformation, the one seeking to disseminate it must make you believe that condition B, a false statement, is actually condition A, a true statement—that something false is true.

This commonly occurs through giving you false proof based on spurious or distorted facts—what one of the press secretaries of the Trump administration famously referred to as “alternative facts.”

Sometimes in my leisure time, I watch UFO conspiracy shows on Netflix. I listen to these reports, and I conclude, “I cannot verify this hypothesis and I suspend my belief that it is true. This is condition C.

However, if the scout ship with the grey aliens—the ones with the large heads and prominent black eyes—lands on my lawn… Three aliens come out of their vessel… they come towards me and one of them gives me a high five—or in their case, a high four, as they only have four fingers—my belief that there are space aliens has been validated. I then can say, “yes, there are space aliens: they are parked on my lawn.” This is condition A.

When people get seduced by conspiracy theories; entrapped in cults, hate and terrorist groups; or deceived by propaganda—they believe something that is false is true—and this conditions their emotions and behavior. They believe the false statement, which should be recognized as false—condition B—is actually A, verified as true.

To bring people back from this alternate reality, these false beliefs that appear to them to be true must be shown to be false. The challenge of this is that they tenaciously defend these false beliefs as “the truth.”

The “Aha Moment”

The sudden insight or realization—the “aha moment”—that makes someone realize that something they believe is false and reject it, is the catalyst that enables someone to escape their alternate reality. For them to change, they must have this realization.

For a person who is committed to a false belief:

You cannot argue with them. They will not listen.
You cannot convince them through showing them other information. They will not believe what you show them.

They must discover that it is false. Then they emerge, and awaken from the dream.

To the degree that you can catalyze this realization, you can assist them to break the spell. Our best psychotherapists and coaches can do this, once in a while.

Going back to your original question, you must verify what intuition tells you, the same way you might check out something another person tells you, or something you view on social media.

If you can’t verify it, it’s conditional—an unverified hypothesis. Perhaps if people could learn to hold more things as an unverified hypothesis, instead of wildly believing them, we would have fewer people getting lost in conspiracy theories and cults.

Those interested in learning more about the dynamics that underlie religious and political cults, you may enjoy reading our book, Religions, Cults, and Terrorism: What the Heck Are We Doing? [In 2023, we released the follow up volume to this book, The Path across the Sky. Those who enjoyed Religions, Cults, and Terrorism may wish to add this newer volume that brings new insights into this subject matter to their library.]

Preaching and Satsang

Posted on December 3, 2021 by George Boyd

Q: What is the difference between preaching and satsang?

A: Preaching is communicated from the Moon Soul nucleus of identity. Satsang comes from the attentional principle, the spirit, or the ensouling entity.

The spectrum of preaching spans a range of communication: from material contaminated with human paranoia and ignorance to the channeling of the Holy Spirit and the Divine directly. We can sketch out seven levels of preaching:

Dissemination of conspiracy theories and superstition – at this level, material from the preacher’s unconscious mind contaminates the message.
Conversion message – the message attempts to instill fear, guilt, shame, or self-loathing to make someone become a member of a religious group. This messaging may point out sinful or adharmic behavior, describe its dire consequences, and then offer faith, prayer, or some type of contemplative practice as a solution. Those who play an evangelistic or “soul winner” role in an organization use this type of preaching.
Practical advisement – in this aspect of preaching, the message communicates keys to success, prosperity, and happiness. The strategies advocated in this type of preaching include using scriptures to claim what people desire “by faith,” employing affirmations, or performing tithing to bring about personal rewards. New Thought ministers and those who preach the “prosperity gospel” adopt this approach. Pastoral counselors who utilize scriptural passages to give solutions to the problems of life also tap this dimension of preaching.
Moral guidance – in this level of preaching, the message attempts to instill moral values and character change through metaphors, parables, stories, or testimonials. The homily of the Catholic priest and the testimonial of one who has been saved in Evangelical churches draw on this type of preaching.
Exhortation – this type of preaching exhorts people to take urgent action. Some preaching makes use of this type of message to raise funds. Some clergy may exhort their parishioners to vote for a political candidate that shares the religious institution’s values.
Revelation – This type of preaching explains the layers of meaning of scriptures. It may attempt to interpret the symbols and archetypes found in prophetic and mystical passages of scripture. It may attempt to use analytical strategies like Gematria or analysis of historical word meanings to tease out meaning from religious texts. Those who play a teaching role in the religious organization commonly exercise this communication style.
Transmission of the gifts of the Spirit – In the core of the Moon Soul, where the Holy Spirit comes to dwell, in response to the believer’s fervent invocation and prayer, the Living Flame speaks directly through the individual. This can take the form of inspired preaching, prophecy, speaking in an unknown tongue (glossolalia), and anathema.

In inspired preaching, the Holy Spirit speaks through the individual, who takes no thought as to what he or she will say—it is revealed in the moment; the preacher gives voice to what the Spirit whispers within.
In prophecy, the Divine Spirit reveals what is to be in the future.
In glossolalia, the Spirit bestows a mantramic language upon the believer, which enables the believer to enter into union with the Holy Spirit in the core of the Moon Soul.
In anathema, the Divine commandment executes the karmic law.

Those who wish to study more about religious conversion and the dynamics underlying religion may value from reading our book, Religion, Cults, and Terrorism: What the Heck Are We Doing? [In 2023, we released the follow up volume to this book, The Path across the Sky. Those who enjoyed Religions, Cults, and Terrorism may wish to add this newer volume that brings new insights into this subject matter to their library.]

How Thought Streams Affect Others

Posted on November 27, 2021 by George Boyd

Q: How do thought streams influence others?

A: Thought streams are at the body of the Occult Hierarchy’s influence on humanity and the activity of Occult initiates. Thought streams may play a role in the adoption of conspiracy theories, and the hypnotic influence of cultic groups and leaders.

Thought streams have three parts:

Transmission
Reception
Implementation

Thought stream transmission occurs when it originates from a source; it becomes a field which others are immersed.

Thought stream reception takes three forms:

Ensouling entities are immersed in the field of the thought stream transmission; it surrounds them in the astral environment in which they dwell, which we call the Plenum.

The spirit or the attentional principle may receive a telepathic impress from the thought stream transmission; they may feel it is important enough to implement.

The ego receives the communication of the thought stream through a verbal or visual means; the content of the thought stream may contain material that activates the emotionalized contents of the personal unconscious and motivates fear, worry, or anger. This level of message may stir others to take action on the message.

Thought stream implementation is a spectrum ranging from no implementation to complete dedication of life and mind.

Notices content of the thought stream message, but does not enact it
Thinks about the ideas of the thought stream message, but does not enact them
Forms an emotional reaction to the ideas conveyed in the thought steam message, and may communicate them to others; they may argue with others in an attempt to change their beliefs; judges others are wrong if they don’t believe the content of the thought stream message
Changes behavior based on the ideas of the thought stream message; may make new choices
Generates rules, policies, or laws based on the thought stream message
May attempt to actively influence and convert others to believe in the ideas of the thought stream message through giving talks, interviews, writing articles and blog posts, authoring books, or disseminating these ideas through social media
Dedicates one’s life and resources to living the ideas of the thought stream message and spreading this message to others

Sources of Thought Streams

In Advanced Webinar 28, we describe the role of the thought streams emerging from the Occult Hierarchy as follows:

“When we study the Occult Hierarchy, and look at the work of the Occult Adepts and higher Occult Initiates, we find that Occult Adepts of certain degrees upon each of the Seven Rays are responsible for certain “projects” that are carried out in humanity. Some of these projects seem relatively benign; some bring great evil in their wake.”

“Each of these projects engages groups of Soul Sparks, who are carried on its powerful magnetic thought forces to enact its commands and suggestions. In some of these projects, the aim is to empower and liberate the free will of Soul Sparks from the influences that attempt to restrain their pleasure and their freedom; in other projects, certain individuals may be raised to the heights of worldly power, and enabled to rule over others with an iron fist.”

Other sources of thought streams—as we described in the article, “Levels of Thought that Impact Human Life”—include:

Intuitive impressions from the Psychic Realm
The voice of Wisdom
Revelation of truths from the Revelatory Mind of the Holy Spirit
The voice of the Mighty I AM Presence
Ministerial thought, reflection on seed thoughts
Illumined Mind, downpour of knowledge
Attunement – intention driven thought to produce purification, healing, emotional release, counsel, and guidance, illumination and revelation, and initiation, imbued with the Divine Light
Soul Realization (Enlightenment) – the experience of the Soul beyond thought

While many thought streams are neutral or even positive—many thought streams that come from the Lower Astral Plane, that convey conspiracy theories, or that entrap people in the toxic belief systems of spiritual cults, hate groups, or terrorist bands—are not.

If a thought steam is negatively impacting you, and you are beginning to act under its influence, there are several things you can do.

What You Can Do

There are seven key steps for dealing with thought stream influences. These include:

Become aware that the thought stream is influencing you.
Notice specifically how the thought stream is affecting your choices, your thinking, your values, your beliefs, your emotions, and your actions.
Decide if you want to continue to act under its spell. If you decide you want to free yourself from its influence, you need to make the choice to walk away.
Actively inventory how the thought stream is affecting your choices, your thinking, your values, your beliefs, your emotions, and your actions—and explore your alternate options.

Draw a line on a sheet of paper to divide it into two columns.

On the left hand side, write down the verbatim content you have learned as part of the thought stream’s influence on your life and your mind.

On the right side, write down what you can choose, think, believe, feel, or do instead.

Extract yourself from involvement with the group that disseminates this material:

Get off their mailing list or email list.
Cancel your account on the social media platform that distributes this material, or un-friend them on Facebook.
Stop listening to radio shows or podcasts that promulgate these messages. Stop watching television programs or Internet videos that spread these views.
Do not go to their lectures or meetings.
Avoid contact with the people in your life who share these distorted messages; if you cannot avoid contact, assertively tell them that you do not want to hear about these topics anymore

Commit to the alternate options you identified in step four. Live intentionally, mindfully, and thoughtfully. Identify who you are and what is your purpose for living, and align your choices, thoughts, beliefs, and actions with your authentic Self.
Continue to monitor whether you are still acting under the influence of the thought stream messages in some aspect of your life, and root out these beliefs, so you can free yourself from any residual impressions from this source.

Those of you who have been acting under the hypnotic spell of these thought streams for a long time are impacted in a similar manner to someone who has been involved in a religious cult. We invite you to explore our Cult Recovery Coaching Program if this immersion in these thought stream influences has adversely affected your life. You may learn more about the dynamics operating in cultic groups in our book, Religions, Cults, and Terrorism: What the Heck Are We Doing?

Types of Religious Expression

Posted on November 13, 2021 by George Boyd

Q: Where does Mudrashram® fall on the scale of religious expression?

A: If we examine the scale of religious expression, we discover seven major categories of religious expression. These include:

Complete theocracy – religion dominates every aspect of life; complete control of behavior and belief by religion
Religious fervor – religion seeks to gain political control of government to enact its religious agenda through laws and usurp the rights of non–believers
Reflective religion – religion follows a set of moral principles or commandments scrupulously, but encourages reflection, meditation, and discussion of religious ideas and principles to promote understanding and insight
Ecumenical religion – reaches out to other faiths in good will; promotes tolerance and understanding; attempts to live a life of love, virtue, and service
Hypocritical religion – espouses values but does not live up to them; clergy may engage in sexual impropriety; may treat those of the same faith with favoritism, and discriminate against those of other faiths or sects; participates in political advocacy for candidates that espouse their values and beliefs
Corrupt religion – religion engages in corrupt practices to become rich and powerful; may use public shaming or litigation to intimidate and suppress those who question its doctrine or practices; may use bribes of public officials, they solicit large donations for religious favors or purported heavenly rewards; money buys access to a spiritual leader
Demonic religion – forces religion on others against their will, embracing an attitude of ‘convert or die’; uses terrorism, violence, torture, and criminal activities to gain power through any means; requires absolute obedience to its doctrine and beliefs, and allows no dissent; does not respect human rights or international laws or conventions; holds it alone is the one true religion

Mudrashram® most closely resembles the activities of category three, in that we encourage reflection, meditation, and discussion of religious ideas and principles to promote understanding and insight. The scrupulous moral observances characterize those students who ascend to the advanced disciple, accepted disciple, and Initiate stages of the Path, when they begin to become instruments of the Divine Will and Grace.

We suspect you can find examples of modern religious and spiritual groups that appear to fall into each of these categories. Of these expressions, perhaps reflective religion and ecumenical religion have fewer drawbacks than the others.

Those of you who wish to explore the dynamics of religions, cults, and terrorist groups may enjoy our book, Religions, Cults, and Terrorism: What the Heck Are We Doing?

Those of you who may have been traumatized from your involvement in religious groups of types one, two, five, six, or seven—and you seek to heal and find your serenity and sanity again— you may find our Cult Recovery Program will help you find your way out of the morass and get your bearings again.

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The Many Faces of Spiritual Egotism

Posted on July 30, 2021 by George Boyd

This article builds upon our article, “Reflections on the Ego,” and explores the dimension of spiritual egotism in greater depth. Our original commentary is found in an article, “The Seven Postures of the Ego,” where we discuss the seventh form of egotism, which is spiritual egotism. We will quote from this article on this aspect of egoic expression:

“Subtle Egoic Identification – This aspect of the ego enables you to identify with a spiritual essence, and then to form certain beliefs, attitudes, and judgments about self and others when you are in this state of identification. For some, it gives then a sense of superiority, of specialness, of being a member of an elite group. For others, this takes the form of comparing their progress with others, and being dissatisfied with the rate and quality of their spiritual progress. For others, it is a belief that they are flawed; that they are demented, blind, worms that can never gain enlightenment or receive the blessings of God. For others, it can become a sense of narcissism and grandiosity—that they are a Divine Being incarnate, and they are entitled to special treatment, and worship and obedience from others.”

“The belief that one has been born again and has adopted a new state of identity carries along with it this subtle egoic identification. When people say, for example, they are Christians, Yogis, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists; they are activating this subtle form of identification.”

“This new state of identification can become a pseudo-personality, as UCLA researcher Dr. Jolyon West called it, and take on a life of its own—divorced from the genuine feelings and issues of human life. When people dwell in pseudo-personality, they live a spiritual agenda instead of their authentic lives. They adhere to a sense of purpose that a spiritual teacher defines; or a lifestyle that a Divinely-inspired scripture commands, or that is revealed through inner communion with an advanced spiritual being through inner visions, revelations, and channeled or prophetic messages. When they are so “inspired and guided,” they no longer inhabit their own lives; they are committed instead to follow a spiritual path, whose precepts inculcate what they should choose, think, and believe, and how they should act.”

“Many spiritual teachers emphasize the egoic aspects (3) [the defensive posture] and (4) [the shadow], which are largely negative, and advocate (7) [subtle egoic identification] instead—re-identification with a higher spiritual essence. Tolle is no different here: he seeks refuge from the unconscious aspect of the ego, the shadow, by keeping attention anchored in “Being, ” e.g., present time state…” [Please see the article, “Reflections of the Ego” cited above to learn about these egoic aspects.]

In this article, we wish to use these initial insights as a springboard to examine the facets of spiritual egotism in greater depth. We seek to answer the questions, “How does subtle egotism manifest?” “What are its links to distorted mental functioning?” “How can a wayfarer upon the Path, who recognizes that subtle egotism has taken a sinister turn, eradicate these patterns from the mind?”

How Does Subtle Egotism Manifest?

Subtle egotism takes a variety of forms:

Comparison with others – this can manifest as superiority (“I am so much more advanced than him on the Path”) or inferiority (“He is so much more advanced than I am and he is making much faster progress than me. What’s wrong with me?”)
Jealousy and Envy – this form appears when it appears that another disciple is getting more attention from the spiritual Master, or greater blessings from God. This manifests as a “sour grapes” attitude (“Well, he might get attention from the Master because he knows how to show off before the other disciples he loves the Master, but the Master knows that I am his true devotee, and I don’t have to make vain displays.”)
Narcissism – This takes the form of absorption in a spiritual essence coupled with a sense of greatness or omnipotence. The disciple feels vastly superior to others—like the God King, Pharaoh, to his “mortal” subjects—so that he expects that others will serve him; show him deference and the highest respect; anticipate his every need or wish; never disagree with him, because he has superior insight and wisdom; and indeed, should even worship him. Extremely narcissistic disciples cannot take public transportation, because they might be polluted or drained of energy by common people; they cannot broach any criticism, and consider it a personal affront; or cannot deign to do any work themselves, but delegate it to those who are their “inferiors”—as they cannot be bothered to do these menial tasks, as others are “meant to serve them.” [If severe, spiritual narcissism can transform into narcissistic personality disorder.]
Grandiosity – The grandiose disciple loses his human grounding and feels that he is a god-like being endowed with supernatural powers and great wisdom. This grandiosity can take three forms: (a) distorted identity (narcissism – q.v.), (b) delusional thinking and belief (mania), or (c) perceptual aberrations (illusions and hallucinations). When grandiosity becomes increasingly severe—and when all three forms accompany it, the disciple migrates into psychosis—delusional disorder, mania, and grandiose paranoid schizophrenia.
Intense focus on the faults of self and others – In those disciples who have a very strict conscience, or are disciples of teachings that expect they will adhere to the highest standards of moral purity and saintly behavior, they can be extremely harsh in their criticism of their fellow disciples, themselves [this pattern can lead to depression], and even of their spiritual Master.
Idealizing spiritual aims and devaluing personal ones – Those disciples that create an idealized vision of what it will be like when they reach a certain state of the Path may become so enraptured with their vision that they neglect to attend to their personal lives. They may fail to find a marital partner. They may neglect their education. They may find it impossible to focus on complex work, and instead, find employment in low pay, low skilled jobs.
Expecting miraculous outcomes and Divine intervention – Those who regard themselves as “special,” “beloved of God,” one of “God’s children,” or “one of the chosen ones [the Elect],” may expect, even demand that God must take care of them. They expect that they will not need to make any effort other than praying, affirming, decreeing, claiming God’s promises by faith, or visualizing their desired outcome, and the “Law of Attraction,” “the Universe,” the “Divine Mind,” or “Providence” will instantly manifest whatever they need or desire.

We encourage aspirants and disciples to examine themselves honestly to uncover the signs of emerging spiritual egotism.

Are you comparing yourself to others’ progress or behavior?
Do you feel you are special? Do you feel that you have God’s special favor?
Do you feel you are great and powerful, and far superior to others?
Have you become arrogant? Do you belittle or condemn others because they do not believe as you do?

Antidotes to these tendencies to spiritual egotism include the following:

Humility – realize that whatever your spiritual attainment, you don’t stop being a human being with limited knowledge and ability, emotional fragility and vulnerability, character weaknesses—and you are mortal.
Keep your human grounding – don’t stay in altered states of awareness for long periods of time—for this can bring about sustained identification with these states in which you feel god-like, grandiose, and omnipotent
You are competing only with your self – Stop comparing yourself to others, as you must focus on the mission you were meant to accomplish. What abilities are you meant to develop? Develop them through study, practice, and experimentation. What knowledge, understanding and wisdom do you need to gain to carry out your mission? Gain them through study, contemplation, and reflection. What virtues were you meant to acquire? Work on your character to bring these qualities forth. What masteries were you called to manifest? Study each aspect of the Path connected with that stage of development and synthesize the necessary abilities, knowledge, and ministerial competencies to operate from that platform.
Realize that everyone is suffering – Climb down from the mountaintop of arrogance into the valley of the heart. Before you give others a thorough tongue lashing—heaping invectives and insults upon them for not living up to your standards—realize that they may be coping the best that they can given the issues with which they are dealing, and are doing the best that they can right now.
They may not be ready or suitable for your Path – Before you assume you know best for others and presume they need to join your religious group or take initiation into your spiritual Path—because you believe it is the best and highest one—consider where their Soul is on the Path, and what are the personal issues with which they are dealing. It may not be appropriate for them to leap up onto your Path in the Cosmic, Supracosmic, or Transcendental bands of the Continuum—they simply are not ready.
Consider what you are avoiding in your own self – In many people that adopt grandiose and narcissistic mindsets, these states of power and inflated sense of identity are reactions to not wanting to look at very painful areas within them. They become great in their own eyes, so they don’t have to confront their own feelings of inferiority, lack of competence, and weakness. You may wish to question, “What’s behind this grandiosity?”
You’ll never be as great as God – The Divine is part of another order of Nature. Your consciousness is anchored in your physical body; the forms of the Divine encompass the entire planet, the solar system, the Monadic Life Wave, the galaxy, the physical universe, the astral cosmos, the causal-mental cosmos, and the ultimate Source from which the Soul and the spirit were born. Your job is to actualize your human and spiritual potentials, and stop trying to play God. Instead consider: “How may I be of service?” How can I use my knowledge and abilities to benefit others?”

We encourage you to observe your own tendencies to spiritual egotism, and to root out these weeds from the garden of your spiritual heart. We suggest that you will benefit from using the antidotes to spiritual egotism to help you correct these inflated, narcissistic and arrogant mindsets, and to settle back into your humanness again.