By Actaeon
“Do what you want” seems an excellent rule for responsible adults.
Far better than its alternative, which is “Do what you’re told”. In fact, if the fools who joined Nxivm/DOS had followed the former rule, they never would’ve gotten in the mess they did.
Weak-willed fools like Allison Mack were eager to be told what to do, told how to live their lives, told which books to read and which ones not to. Told what is ethical and what is not. Told not to be “prideful”. Ah, pride, one of the seven deadly sins. Pride is self-respect, pride is self-confidence. Neither of these qualities is what a cult leader looks for in his slave-minions.
The craven self-abasement of cult followers frankly disgusts me.
That long YouTube video of Mack “interviewing” her lord and master Keith Raniere is one revolting spectacle. She gazes at him adoringly as he corrects her, lectures her, and chastises her. She positively laps it up. And then she went out doing his bidding, recruiting fresh meat for his maw. Lying for him, cajoling, sneakily gathering up her victims’ so-called collateral. Submissively doing what she was told.
The idea that doing what you want to do is wrong is one of the reasons I left Catholicism. Penance and self-denial are akin to masochism, as far as I’m concerned. Life should be joyful; the world is beautiful and our time here is limited, so take pleasure in life. The Christian notion that life is a vale of tears, that man is inherently sinful, does not appeal to me in the least, and the idea of depriving oneself of joy in exchange for the promise of reward in some supposed afterlife is frankly risible.
Nietzsche was right, Christianity is a slave’s religion.
As for the Church of Satan, they aren’t what you might think. They do not believe in the Devil any more than in God. I have no affiliation with the CoS but they have a very entertaining online presence and are, despite the scary name, utterly harmless.
Aleister Crowley was a nut, and so was Anton LaVey. But neither of them gathered blackmail material on their female followers and had them branded, and neither one ran a criminal racket. And that to me is what separates them from Keith Raniere.
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
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Paul Serran
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Acteon,
“As for the Church of Satan, they aren’t what you might think. They do not believe in the Devil any more than in God. I have no affiliation with the CoS but they have a very entertaining online presence and are, despite the scary name, utterly harmless.”
……The Church of Satan is harmless…..
………If that is so……
Go on a camping trip with them or a barbecue get together…..
I rather take my chances with the Michigan Militia.
“Actaeon: Aleister Crowley Never Branded or Blackmailed Women..” You’re kidding right? Sarcasm I bloody hope! He certainly was a nutter, but a very influential nutter both when he was alive and now! Branding, driving women insane, sodomy to bring in those ‘insane’ demons (Lucifer’s friends maybe?), as well as child sacrifice — he all advocated — apparently. O.T.O. in contemporary times can probably be considered more successfully than NiXiUM — or is this your next line of research? Listened to quite a few interviews by William Ramsey who has researched and written a couple of books.
I am non-religious.
But looking back on the history of the 20th Century how many people died in atheistic Soviet Russia and Communist China?
An estimated 20 million Russians were murdered by their Communist leaders in the Kremlin and and estimated 80 Chinese were murdered by Communism.
China: 82 million dead
USSR: more than 21 million dead
http://www.outono.net/elentir/2017/12/18/the-more-than-100-million-deaths-that-communism-caused-divided-by-countries/
In a way, our Greek mythological hero Actaeon reminds me of a serial arsonist. In the House-Tree-Person psychological assessment, a serial arsonist will nearly always feel compelled to draw something pertaining to a fire when they draw a house-tree-person scene, such as smoke coming out of a chimney, or something akin that. Nearly all of Actaeon’s posts include his own indictment of Christianity, which has never been part of NXIVM or Raniere’s ideas.
Actaeon always presents himself as a person of superior intellect who has transcended a need to believe in God. He is seemingly of much higher moral fabric than everyone, and has no need for any Judeo-Christian value system. Oddly, he condemns Raniere, but he doesn’t seem to realize that he is very similar to the person he seemingly despises! Did Raniere not create his own value system, free of Christian beliefs? The Society of Protectors is an organization created by Raniere which clearly stated that it is not affiliated with any religious believe system. Perhaps Actaeon should consider joining SOP, and may even become the new face of this movement!
It seems to me, Actaeon, that you and Raniere are more alike than you care to believe.
So we get it, Actaeon; you’re an atheist…for now. But like Saul on the road to Damascus, perhaps you’ll find your way.
Your quote is not complete. The actual statement was “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the Law! Love under will”.
Victorian/Edwardian England (and America) were exceedingly sexually inhibited.
Most Initiates understand the pronouncement to mean that in the new age Love will rule (as opposed to money) and that anything will be tolerated, any relationship (ie LBGTQ etc.) providing it has love as a foundation.
So in that context, Raniere was doing “what thou wilt”. He muffed up by apparently compelling women to act against their will, both by the unwanted brand and sex.
The branding would only be acceptable if the women were given a drawing of the image, and told – “go get it done by a professional when you believe you’re ready”, and the sex if offered without being asked.
Crowley was a highly talented, but badly disciplined student of the path, who was born wealthy but died impoverished.
And by the way, it was his wife who “channelled” the Book of the Law. While travelling in Egypt she heard a voice tell her to return to a certain location on a certain day. When they returned a voice from the ether dictated to her “The Book of the Law” which Crowley scribbled while she spoke.
Interesting Actaeon. I had heard of Aleister Crowley before but didn’t know much about him. This post made me curious so I looked him up. Thanks for the interesting comparison! Though Crowley seemed much more benign than Raniere, from what I can tell. Also, more intelligent. Logic and proper use of language seem to escape Raniere.
“Recruiting fresh meat for his maw” sounds like the motive for creating Girls By Design.
When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an Invisible Man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the Invisible Man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!
– George Carlin
i wonder why GBD never was mentioned in the trial?
Frank:
Keith Raniere is not the only dangerous cult Guru.
Here is a new cult for NXIVM followers to join.
Tony Robbins Punishes Followers By Making Them Drink Unidentified Brown Liquid “Designed To Have A Lasting Effect”
At high-pressure seminars, the self-help superstar punishes people who don’t measure up by feeding them a “gross shot” of unidentified brown liquid. His lawyers denied the mixture contains laxatives.
Tony Robbins punishes followers who fail at his self-help tasks by calling them onstage in front of large crowds and making them drink an unidentified mixture “designed to have a lasting effect for several hours.”
Video and internal documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News reveal that Robbins places “L” stickers on audience members’ foreheads and then, while the song “Loser” by Beck plays over the speakers, forces them to down a “gross shot” whose contents he does not disclose to them.
The practice is part of a pattern in which the embattled self-help superstar urges his followers to ingest potions while on their quest to “live a healthier, wealthier, more fulfilling, passionate and purposeful life.”
One former staffer told BuzzFeed News that audience members are deliberately led to believe that the “nasty” mixture contains laxatives. “I always felt that this was highly inappropriate and falls into the category of public shaming, which is common for Robbins,” he said.
Two more former insiders said they had also witnessed fans being given drinks at other Robbins events, which they were told would have health benefits but made many people sick.
“Participants were throwing up all over the place, in public restrooms, hotel rooms,” said Gary King, Robbins’ former director of security.
The new accusations have emerged after BuzzFeed News revealed in May that Robbins has berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques, while some former female fans and staffers have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Robbins has vehemently denied all the allegations and accused BuzzFeed News of “flat-out lying.” The self-help superstar claims to have helped millions of fans overcome their darkest difficulties, while building a multibillion-dollar business and working with celebrities including Oprah, Serena Williams, the Kardashians, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-punishes-followers-by-making-them-drink
“Penance and self-denial is akin to masochism, as far as I’m concerned. ”
According to Catherine Oxenberg in the book “Captive” Allison Mack was obsessed with the notion of Penance.
That’s why Mack imposed strict diets and cold showers on her slaves and on herself.
That’s why Mack identified so strongly with Joan of Arc.
Well now Allison Mack has lots of sins to do penance for.
As for Aleister Crowley like Ramtha/JZ Knight Crowley claimed to communicate with Spirit Beings.
“Crowley claimed to have been contacted by a supernatural entity named Aiwass, who provided him with The Book of the Law, a sacred text that served as the basis for Thelema. ”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley
Crowley’s Mumbo Jumbo provided the basis for Hubbard’s Scientology and indirectly NXIVM.
“Do what thou wilt” sounds a lot like Raniere’s emphasis on experiencing “Joy.”
“Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a recreational drug experimenter and bisexual ”
In his sexual life Crowley was a libertine much like Raniere:
Crowley was bisexual, and exhibited a sexual preference for women,[273] with his homosexual relationships being fewer and clustered in the early part of his life.[237] In particular he had an attraction toward “exotic women”
Even in later life, Crowley was able to attract young bohemian women to be his lovers, largely due to his charisma.
During homosexual anal intercourse, he usually played the passive role,[277] which Booth believed “appealed to his masochistic side”.
Crowley also had frequent sex with prostitutes leading to venereal disease.
“having sex with prostitutes from whom he contracted gonorrhea.”
Kind of like Raniere’s rumored herpes.
Like Raniere Crowley exhibited signs of anti-Semitism.
“Crowley insulted his close Jewish friend Victor Neuburg using anti-Semitic slurs and he had mixed opinions about Jews as a group. Although he praised their “sublime” poetry and stated that they exhibited “imagination, romance, loyalty, probity and humanity”, he also thought that centuries of persecution had led some Jews to exhibit “avarice, servility, falseness, cunning and the rest”
And many women would be insulted by Crowley’s views of them.
“Crowley described women as “moral inferiors” who had to be treated with “firmness, kindness and justice”.
So now we espouse Satanism?
Raniere is more of a Rasputin than a Crowley.
Wow ! another long and…pointless post by mr Actaeon…Stay in your area of expertise (which is…hm…Nothing in fact) and stop giving lectures that you don’t understand yourself…
Exactly. Here’s a primer Acteon:
1. LaVey was a cheap bullshit artist and plaigiarist.
2. Crowley certainly led an interesting life but he’s hardly someone to emulate.
3. Ditto Nietzsche.
4. You also display a puddle-deep knowledge of Catholicism. I’m sure the RC Church is devastated that you “left.”
yeah Mike, what is your claim to fame? i have read nietzche, lavey and crowley. I’ve also seen with my own eyes what the church offers and parallels between idol worship and the dogma of Catholicism- was that hit piece on acteon your contribution
“Craven self-abasement” is exactly right. It takes the right type to victimize. I think this is why Vangaurd needed the young ones. Classic grooming. When you think about Rainbow Cultural Garden, whoa. Interesting is that Raniere’s living children are male.
Still confused as to why Frank keeps running this guy’s articles. We get it: you’re an atheist. So am I, so are a lot of people. But your articles barely touch on Raniere, and instead are just about your personal beefs with religion. That’s all fine and good, but pretty off topic, and honestly, pretty thinly written. I think I’ll be skipping any further pieces from this writer.
well said! a dogmatic atheist is as much of a crushing bore as any fundamentalist […] Crowley is the absolute nadir of wit and wisdom, a sort of anti- motherlode drawing in all manner of like minded souls, though in Crowleys case you could say ‘exposing ‘ all manner of like-minded souls, as he worked for MI5, recruited out of Cambridge…writings not so much word salad as boiled word cabbage.. a footnote citation for nearly all celebrity evil-doers in these last centuries.