Finished reading Passionate
Journeys: Why Successful Women Joined a Cult, Marion Goldman’s study of women residing at Rajneeshpuram, the Oregon
communal living experiment of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers. It did little to quench the voyeurism that
usually drives me to such works, in large part because Goldman uses the
controversial method of creating composites of her subjects, weaving the
experiences of many women into three discreet stories and changing facts to
protect anonymity. So the whole time I
was reading it I was acutely aware of the fact that what she was describing
never actually happened as such. I’m not sure
why this was such a deterrent for someone who ardently believes just about any
snippet of celebrity gossip I read on the internet (Angelina Jolie is not
pregnant though, my gut tells me that). Also, I guess when it comes to religious cults, I really prefer the
insider’s perspective. That’s what I’m
hoping to get out of Bhagwan: The
God that Failed by Hugh Milne,
next on my list.
For your viewing
pleasure, check out these pictures (such as the one above, copyright 2003, Samvado Gunnar Kosstaz) of red/orange-y sannyasins in happier times at the first
Rajneeshpuram festival: . BONUS: Musical interlude, El Dorado. WARNING: More infectious than Curly Oxide.
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