What Is an Intentional Community vs. a Cult?

Reposted as background for the January 6 Committee Hearings: Previously, we have explored some ancient civilizations, such as the Lemurians, Atlanteans and Egyptians and the intentional communities built by the Essenes. We have also looked at whether or not we still need gurus in this day and age. In this post, we will explore how to discern different types of communities and how they may use or abuse the power given to them. What is an intentional community vs. a cult?

What is an intentional community vs. a cult?

“You and I are not only here in terms of the work we’re doing on ourselves. We are here in terms of the role we’re playing within the systems of which we are a part, if you look at the way change affects people that are unconscious. Change generates fear, fear generates contractions, contraction generates prejudice, bigotry, and ultimately violence. You can watch the whole thing happen, and you can see it happen in society after society after society.” – Ram Dass

We can build families, tribes, groups, and communities that either unite us or divide us based on our affiliation with a local or global cause, religious group, spiritual group, political group, hate group, sci-fi/UFO group, self-help/therapy group, etc. Belonging is a basic human need, but where we put our energies and efforts matters more today than ever. Why? Because there are 8 billion people on this planet, and our fate depends on how we treat the planet and all the life forms on it. That’s why fostering a communal spirit is critical.

What types of communities are there?

After my post on What Is the New Normal? – Big Picture Questions, I’ve been wondering about the types of “intentional communities” that are in existence or being planned around the world. Here’s some examples:

An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have more social cohesion and teamwork in a multigenerational setting. The members typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and share some responsibilities and resources.
An ecovillage is an intentional community organized around ecology and sustainability. The goal is to become more socially, culturally, economically and ecologically sustainable. Most have a population of 50 to 250 individuals. Larger ecovillages often exist as networks of smaller sub-communities.
A commune is an intentional community organized around sharing everything, including living spaces, work, income, interests, values, beliefs, and often property, possessions, and resources in common.
An ashram is a spiritual hermitage for practicing yoga, meditation and other spiritual practices to evolve and grow spiritually, to become independent from regular habits, patterns and indulgences.

These communities have the same challenges and lessons as society at large regarding equality, diversity, decision making, accountability, labor distribution, sharing resources, conflict resolution, and relationships within and outside the community. Historically, most intentional communities have failed in the initial stages, because of lack of adequate information and guidance. But that is rapidly changing, because we’re better connected and informed now (see Communities website for download guides, toolkits, papers, ebooks).

Younger generations want to explore new options and new archetypes in life (e.g. digital nomads). Many have an eco-centric (not ego-centric) mindset and want global (not just personal) well-being.
There are many types of communities to explore from income-sharing groups, gift-economy communities, service-oriented groups, and activist communities to groups sharing privately-owned land, co-housing projects, senior-oriented communities, shared living within households, and so on.

We know more about the systems needed for “eco-resilience” in terms of designing and building eco-friendly shelters, villages, food, water, permaculture, and “hard” skills for sustainability. We also know more about the “soft” skills or human dimensions of community needed for people to function, evolve and thrive. For much more information, please see: Intentional Communities – Find, Join, & Learn about Intentional Community.

What makes a cult?

This is where people are recruited to a group or movement and “brainwashed” or mind controlled to think in a certain way. They are taught not to think for themselves, not to question anything, but to be obedient to the leader or ideology and contribute in various ways to maintain the group. This can happen in many settings, including religious groups, spiritual groups, business groups, political groups, hate groups, militia groups, etc. (see the comprehensive descriptions at non-profit Cult Education Institute :: Group Information Archives).

“[Cults] prey on the most lonely, vulnerable people they can find, cage you with your own mind through guilt and fear, cut you off from everyone…they don’t need armed guards to keep you. Liars, tricksters, it’s been the same ever since Eve got the apple, and I doubt it will ever change. They’re all basically, really the same, con men.” – Margaret Singer, PhD (“Cults in Our Midst”)

Dr. Singer was one of the world’s best-known cult experts, who interviewed thousands of former cultists. She said people are easier to manipulate when they are lonely, looking for answers or in an altered state, fatigued, anxious or under stress. She explained:

“Destructive cults, groups, movements and/or leaders maintain intense allegiance through the arguments of their ideology, and through social and psychological pressures and practices that, intentionally or not, amount to conditioning techniques that constrict attention, limit personal relationships, and devalue reasoning.” – Margaret Singer (Cult Education Institute :: Mind Control)

The members are subjected to psychological persuasion technics (e.g. trance, hypnosis, guided imagery, peer pressure, role modeling, emotional manipulation, “lovebombing”). They obey people they like and feel a sense of duty to authority figures. They often develop a new personality or cult identity. They tell their family and friends: “No one orders me around. I choose to do what I do.” That’s the leader’s goal — to get the members to think that way. Cult intervention involves “deprogramming” or giving members information about the cult and how their own decision-making power has been taken away.

Rick Ross is an intervention specialist, who listed Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader:

Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
There is no legitimate reason to leave — former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
Followers feel they can never be “good enough.”
The group/leader is always right.
The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation; no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

For comparison, he also listed Ten signs of a safe group/leader:

A safe group/leader will answer your questions without becoming judgmental and punitive.
A safe group/leader will disclose information, such as finances and often offer an independently audited financial statement regarding budget and expenses. Safe groups and leaders will tell you more than you want to know.
A safe group/leader is often democratic, sharing decision making and encouraging accountability and oversight.
A safe group/leader may have disgruntled former followers, but will not vilify, excommunicate and forbid others from associating with them.
A safe group/leader will not have a paper trail of overwhelmingly negative records, books, articles and statements about them.
A safe group/leader will encourage family communication, community interaction and existing friendships and not feel threatened.
A safe group/leader will recognize reasonable boundaries and limitations when dealing with others.
A safe group/leader will encourage critical thinking, individual autonomy and feelings of self-esteem.
A safe group/leader will admit failings and mistakes and accept constructive criticism and advice.
A safe group/leader will not be the only source of knowledge and learning excluding everyone else, but value dialogue and the free exchange of ideas.

These signs apply to all types of leaders and groups, including political, religious and spiritual groups. He said don’t be naive, develop a good BS detector!

Final Thoughts

Many spiritual seekers fantasize about having a partner or a family that was spiritual, but as Matt Kahn put it, then you’d be in a cult! He said you may want to find a spiritual community, where like minded people can live together and raise the vibration with love and light. On the surface it may be well-intended until one day you ask yourself: Why are we all dressed the same? Why do we all go to the same store in the commune? Why do we have the same last name? When did I join a cult? 😉

The problem is that they’re trying to make every person the same, like a robot. He said:

“I’m proud of my reputation. I’m the world’s worst cult leader. I don’t want you all to be the same. I want you to be yourself, an individual, a free thinker. I just want to help you become your best, most loving self, become the master that you are. Life and you are co-creators in this.”

He said everyone has insight, some have a lot. It’s important to honor the teacher, but also to watch their behavior. How integrated is their consciousness? How do they talk to you or other people? What choices they are making? Their choices are a manifestation of their highest wisdom in action, in words, responses and behavior. A lot of people have wisdom, but they do not have the embodiment part. Ask yourself: What would consciousness do? What would Love do?

In closing, here is what I channeled from Source before writing this post:

“This is a good post to make, because it shows how these groups operate. Even if their original intention is to create a like minded community of people that want to operate in a certain way, if they are seen as rebels or resistance groups against general society, and if they promote violent means to enact their principles or manifestos or directives, then they become the enemy of the general public, because their methods and means are opposite to harmony, peace, cooperation and collaboration, diplomacy, equality, diversity, sharing, communion, and so on.

The natural way for us is to start to congregate in some fashion, to work together, to collaborate with others. First the fear factor causes people to shun others that are not like them. Later they realize that we are all fighting for or wishing the same things in life (Maslow’s triangle of needs: security, safety, health, belonging, self-worth, work, etc.).

When humans encounter aliens or ETs in physical forms, then they will realize that humanity as a whole is a group, is a working unit that is meant to work together, regardless of the diversity of the faces that create that group. Eventually, that is where we are headed.

Then galactic interactions follow where Earth and earthlings are but one of a palette of bioforms that are inhabiting this universe. And they tend to work together as a confederation or association of worlds, so that they can have opportunities to interact with each other more, as they evolve together up the frequencies within the physical universe.”