Regarding what you said about the color red in post # 21, Suresh; raju's garb is orange, and that is the color associated with the 2nd, or sexual chakra. I think most sanyasi's wear orange, and that struck me as strange even in my days as a devotee, since don't most of them profess to be celebate? I wonder how many really are, and why they would make that claim if they're not. After all, in America most clergy-people are not expected to be.

Anyone have any ideas or insights? Especially Indians?

Suresh
May I comment on a couple of things. The colour red in an aura could also be sexual passion. There would be very few people who would have an aura of complete light, I think. I haven't run across it yet.

Re the point you made, people "should go back to their own religion" after they leave sb.
I wouldn't personally recommend this as an option, although it may well turn out to be the right action for some people. I think people need to look at where they are now in this new moment and step out from there to what feels right NOW.

I haven't been a devotee, so I am not going to have the understanding that ex-devotees have about leaving, but I have a few thoughts. Perhaps others can add to these.

To people leaving sb, I would say -

"First of all, take time in your life for yourself. Time to be silent and still. No pressures. Don't fill your days up so there is no time left for you. This is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Take however long it takes for you.

Let go of any anger you may have toward him and to yourself.

Don't let yourself hate him. Love is the answer, regardless of people's actions. We don't have to stoop low enough to hate anyone. If we do, we are in the same band as them - heavy.

Let go of any fear that 'you may really be leaving God and that you perhaps just didn't understand what he was really doing.' (He is NOT God - and we know what he is really doing!)

Trust yourself. You are capable of standing alone -without a guru or the support of your devotee friends. You will make new friends. Life goes on. Eventually they will all leave him anyway!

Bring light into your life. Make your environment peaceful. Do fun things. Life is for living.

Try and let go to ideas that come up like 'I was stupid - I have wasted all these years - how could I have been so deceived.'
There is learning and growth in absolutely everything and who says it was wrong that you were there. I think I would trust myself more and realise we are not stupid. You wouldn't have been there if it wasn't going to benefit you in some way. I expect devotees have had many magical and inspirational moments and grown stronger through many facets including sharing an increased understanding of love and devotion with fellow devotees. You are bound to find you have learnt a lot and grown a better person for it all. Perhaps it is just that now it is time to move on to discover new things. Perhaps to find that divine truth lies within and we are our own connection to Source.

Edited by author 08-19-2001 05:04 PM
A Sparrow,
you are quite right in your interpretation as Sexual energy,and that chakra after the Mooladhara,helps in ones orientation towards raising ones self to their higher self.Most of the sanyasis indulge in sex,but India being a closed knit society,its mostly kept a secret.In fact women feel Honored,and in some cases lead to pregnancy too.Biologically its an impossibility for the sanyasis not to have sex,and if they don't,then eventually end up like many of the Sadhus that you find in Northern India,sitting stark naked and mumbling some unknown chant with vibhuthi smeared all over their bodies.But belive me they possess extraordinary powers and can beat Parthi Baba hollow in his game.

Anthony
I am a ex-devotee,and i know the pangs,and the feeling of having wasted good number of years to some man,who is nothing but a fraud however benevolent but a fraud neverthless.So i try to reason it out saying because of Parthi Baba,today i am enlightend about the true god and there is 100,000 times more bhakthi and ananda in my life.So in a way i am thankful to my True God who made me realise the better things in life."Red" color no doubt plays a significant role in almost every sphere of daily life.In the Indian women,the sindoor or kumkuma,which is mainly powdered turmeric etc red in color,is applied in the center of the forehead,sometimes applied in the parting of the hair in the crown of the head.The idea behind is ,its symbolic for people in particular Males to understand that the lady is married and she belongs to another man,and not harbour thoughts of coveting her.Sceintifically,in the spectrum of colors,red is the least deviated,thats why you see Red as the firt stop sign followed by amber and then green.The holy saints of Shringeri,Udupi,Tumkur,Kanchi,Kalady,Puri,Dwaraka,Kashmir, when i had the oppurtunity to visit them in their surroundings i could see a "yellow Light" only,but with Parthi Baba it always was Black.Black is a color which absorbs everything under the sun and has its own potency.

Edited by author 08-19-2001 08:23 PM
Ref #25:
Sparrow, there's a difference betweent the red-orange that sb wears and the pale orange-toward yellow that is the usual sanyasi color. The color Parti baba has chosen for his robe is unique in India. The only clothing color that appraches it in India is sari colors of the ladies.

Tal Brooke says in his book that sb's bedroom was all bright red when he saw it.

Edited by author 08-19-2001 08:38 PM
I count only six people posting to this board. That's not what I would call a global uprising. They don't use their real names, so their credibility is diminished.

Suggestion: Use real names. Speak only of first hand experience. Avoid speculation, hearsay, and rumor. Otherwise how can we be taken seriously?

Thanks for everybody's information about colors!

Brother John - a real name no doubt!!
You have no idea how many people read this board. But it is an irrelevant point. This board is a mere fraction of the many message exchanges going on. It is the websites, newspapers, word of mouth and hard copy of The Findings and other related expose material, that is reaching people.
Plenty of first hand experience around. Mine is.

Edited by author 08-20-2001 04:01 AM
The Psychology Of Sprititual Sects, Religions

http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/psymove.html

Kind regards, Andries Krugers Dagneaux (my real name btw)

 "Brother John - a real name no doubt!!"

As real as "Anthony Thomas".

Please tell me about your firsthand experiance with Sathya Sai Baba. I'm very interested, in hearing about your experience, because you apparently are the one who 'moderates' this board, therefor one would expect you to be an expert of sorts. Pray do tell....

--Fr. John

Re 33.
Do you have a purpose in posting here, other than to be sarcastic?
As you have no doubts about your guru, I wonder why are you here defying his wishes for his devotees not to have anything to do with the internet.
Why not go in peace and love, along the way you have chosen, with all our good wishes. And as we do, please allow people the right to seek their own truth.

Suresh re 35
Sorry, but I really need to keep to the purpose of this board.

I have explained already that we do not wish to lead people to other groups or religions. If they wish to find out about these things, they are able to find them. If I allow links to be given to a 'How to Become a Hindu' website, then I would need to allow everyone else to promote their own religion.

Please repost without the link.

Dear Anthony
I anticipated your move,its your board,you are welcome to your decision.

There are many so called masters in the West and in the world, who although immersed in the ignorance of true spirituality, yet in the pride of their hearts, profess to know everything in matters spiritual. They do not stop there, but offer to shoulder others in the spiritual quest. Result is one blind leading the other and both fall in to the ditch.

Edited by author 08-20-2001 03:55 PM
Ref #39, Suresh,

Some of us who were ssb devotees were linked to a true master before becoming devotees. For some of us following an (inner) master is still our path. How would you advise ex-devotees who still feel comfortable with the idea of a master...how can they tell a fake, egocentric "master" from a real one? A real master might be defined as one who has merged with God in full samadhi and has volunteered to be here on earth to help others.

Through our experience, ex-devotees like Marswalker and myself find Yogananda and his line to be true inner gurus, and we have taken up the meditation techniques taught by his organization. This was a continuation of the time "before sb" for us. Long ago we were put off by the outer organization, which is one reason we were caught by sb.

I just spoke recently with an ex-devotee who felt that she had finally found true masters in the I AM organization. So she is going to study with that organization.

How would she know about the nature of those masters?