There is a stench in the spiritual community becoming more and more apparent as time passes. This stench is coming from the famous and influential names in the community. Those who in recent years have created much fuss over nothing. Those whose teachings are false, deceptive, empty, mundane, regurgitated, and only serve to maintain the status quo, all the while deluding followers into believing they are worshipping a most high-caliber being or following an ultimate form of teaching.

A most important virtue to cultivate as we embark on our journeys and pursue our spiritual goals is discernment. When it comes to raising our consciousness and making any kind of progress on the spiritual path, discernment is key. Without it, the presence of any impurities in a teaching or the attachment to any false guru we encounter can have the power to set us back for lifetimes.

Nowadays, the common trend for many spiritual people is to believe that because they do not follow a mainstream religion, then surely they must be on the right track. This couldn’t be furthest from the truth, for in fact, many are being led by wolves in sheep’s clothing. My question is, if most dare to question the institutionalized religions (i.e. Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism), why doesn’t it ever dawn on them to question the “unconventional” stuff as well?

Simply because a guru or a teaching is unconventional, does not necessarily make it better than the mainstream. In actuality, some of the newer gurus that have risen in recent years are the same types of ego-maniacs that have run the established religions for ages. These new gurus are only in place to prop themselves up as the latest brands of ultimate authority and to feed off the energy that we give them with our attention. Their sole purpose is not to encourage self-sufficiency, but to keep us running in circles, chasing after our own tails, and chasing after them. They serve only to keep the old adage of idolatry intact, and to keep the old game of superiority vs. inferiority playing along indefinitely.

It truly is getting quite stale here in the spiritual community.

I expect there will be those who disagree with this post as I take each “leader” off their newly-erected pedestals. This is only my personal opinion based on personal experiences and insights, and you of course, have the right to yours. Simply offering food for thought.

My advice is no matter how devoted one might be right now to a certain guru or teaching, always keep a constant vigil on your discernment, on your intuition, and hone them both like a knife.

Lastly, always, always keep in mind how in the end, the emperor had nothing on.

1. Bashar (Darryl Anka) – The case of a Hollywood special effects designer turned trance-channeler, Darryl Anka is the channeler of the infamous Bashar.

Bashar is this dramatic, multi-accented, head-bobbing, entertainer of a galactic being (alien?) who’s so smug in his ways. He sits there on stage putting on a show, advising people on spiritual matters, telling them what they want to hear, answering questions, and giving “serious” discourses on the state of the earth and intergalactic relations. As if intergalactic relations are something we need to concern ourselves with while we fulfill our missions here on Earth.

Seriously???

I haven’t followed his teachings to know every detail. All I know is that any being that claims to be some kind of extra-terrestrial, does not mean well. Sorry but the aliens from other planets are not talking to us, like so many claim. Any “alien” that dares to try to communicate with us, is simply an astral being trying to con us into giving them our light. Instead of proceeding with caution, I say run!

One common misconception is that all channeled beings are benevolent and all channelers are highly enlightened. This couldn’t be furthest from the truth, for nowadays it has become so easy for many to turn the dial of consciousness and tune into the other realms. The question lies in which realm are we tuning into, who are we actually channeling, and what is their intention?

I only need to watch one of Bashar’s videos to know that he is a quack. I instantly pick up the fake vibes. Whoever Mr. Anka is channeling is not all that highly advanced like people make him out to be. He talks up this feel-good, airy-fairy, fluffy stuff into the air, and speaks it with such authority, that it appears as if he is so enlightened. It truly makes me nauseous. I can’t believe people are falling for this crap!

Below is a video depicting his total smugness. If you use your antennae, you will sense the impure energies and the attention that he seeks.

I find that his followers are always subservient when speaking to him and he seems quite ok with that.

 

2. Ramtha (JZ Knight) – Another one to make a splash in Tinseltown, JZ Knight is revered as some kind of high-vibrational Goddess. She is known to channel Ramtha, some enlightened, ex-warrior, male being straight out of Lemuria. She also runs the Ramtha School of Enlightenment.

For starters she owns the copyrights to Ramtha. Both Ramtha and the school are registered trademarks. So watch out! Try claiming that you too are channeling Ramtha, and risk getting your butt sued.

Yeah, talk about enlightened!

Shall I continue?

I was introduced to Ramtha very early in my spiritual journey, after watching the movie What The Bleep Do We Know?, in which they make a guest appearance. Sad to say I fell for the hype at the time. In the movie, JZ/Ramtha is filmed chain-smoking a cigar, the mark of a true “enlightened” being. Little did I know at the time that enlightened masters were beyond human appetites, let alone addictions.

I remember also reading her book I AM Ramtha from beginning to end. It actually read more like a romance novel, and kept me quite entertained, but didn’t teach me a thing.

Ramtha, the enlightened being advises his followers to drink lots of wine for it allegedly re-wires the brain. The school throws wine parties every now and then where all students are encouraged to get crazy drunk.

There’s more, but I won’t proceed any further. I think I’ve said enough about this sad situation.

Another one making millions deceiving the people.

For more on the Ramtha situation feel free to check out the link below.

http://skepdic.com/ramtha.html

3. Ashtar Command and the Galactic Federation (AKA Space Brothers) –

A bad combination!

I can’t even think of this without falling of my chair.

What in the world???

I cannot understand this Ascended Masters & Angels joining forces with the UFOs type of spirituality that’s out there. I may laugh at the absurdity of it all, but it truly is no joke. Channeled by many, these “galactic” beings have managed to get so many true-blue spiritual people to deviate from their original Divine plans. They are masters at mixing truth in with the lies, and make it all sound so good, making them pure masters of deception and distraction.

Ashtar is sometimes known as one guy, and at other times the name of an entire troop of “galactical ascended beings”. When referred to as a being, he is the leader of the space team (not sure what his exact title is). As a troop, the Ashtar Command is an entire melting pot of heavenly and extra-terrestrial beings. They fly around in their spacecrafts, policing outer space and the different star systems. I suppose making sure all is well and in order. It’s beyond me as to why spiritual masters would need to fly around in spacecrafts? I always thought the spiritual realms transcended time and space. Not sure why distance is such an issue for them, as they still need spacecrafts to get from one place to the next???

Just another bunch of impostors coming straight out of the depths of the astral realms to deceive the non-discerning spiritual people. This Ashtar Command is always available to those who would rather keep their minds in outer space and in places that don’t even concern us. Those not willing to raise their consciousness to really take care of earth business.

Leave it up to technology and the aliens. For sure. They will save us!

4. Sananda – Another channeled “being of light” working closely with Ashtar and the Space Brothers. This one claims to be Jesus the Christ, himself. Both him and Ashtar are supposedly working tirelessly to bring the earth into the 5th dimension. Whatever that’s supposed to mean… (Wasn’t that supposed to take place in 2012?)

My question is why the heck did Jesus have to go and change his name??? What was wrong with his original name? Did he have some kind of identity crisis while up there in space?

Channeled by many, Lord Sananda is known to work with the Greys and the Reptilians, as they too are of a higher-vibrational nature and working for the good of earth and mankind.

I won’t go any further, for this is already too much…

I swear, I couldn’t make this stuff up even if I wanted to.

5. Neale Donald Walsch – The infamous teacher who claims to be channeling God in the Conversations With God book series.

I read all of his books when I first started on the path, being so fascinated by them. They seemed so profound at the time. But after about a year or so I moved on.

Not quite sure who or what kind of God Neale is talking to, but I like to call him the “pot-smokin’ hippie God”. This is a God who basically tells everyone exactly what they want to hear and proceeds to tell the world that basically anything goes.

Common themes are Hitler went to heaven, the holocaust was a blessing in disguise, have as much sex as possible, and let’s just eat, drink, and be merry! In his world, there seems to be no rhyme or reason, just do whatever you want. Oh, and don’t worry. There aren’t any consequences. We all just keep on reincarnating over and over, creating whatever the heck we please, and having a blast. Life is not a schoolroom. There are no lessons to learn. No karma. Take a chill pill and relax!

There also seems to be no talk of any heavenly beings such as spiritual masters and angels. When asked, Mr. Walsch cannot vouch for their existence either.

And who can forget the Ultimate Reality part. He totally lost me on that one. None of it made any sense. It’s packaged in such sophisticated jargon that I’m not sure if anyone out there actuality got it. But no one dares to question it, for fear of looking unsophisticated.

I still can’t believe how successful these books are, and how people hold onto these ridiculous teachings for dear life and just won’t let go?

I suppose if I sold books telling people exactly what their egos wanted to hear, I’d be a multi-millionaire too.

6. Dr. Wayne Dyer- I’m sure he’s a very nice guy. Certainly not the only culprit for duping the public, as Dr. Dyer falls into the category of the “manifestation guru”. Not to say that these types of gurus are promoting a false teaching, but more of an incomplete teaching. We have an entire string of them cropping up these days, from Dr. Dyer, to Mike Dooley, to Rhonda Byrne. Dr. Dyer is simply one of the big names that fall under this category. His teachings are mainly about the laws of attraction, intention, and materializing one’s desires. Not sure if he’s applied his own teachings to his own life to get to where he is right now? But many are fooled into believing that attaining their desires is as easy as 1,2,3.  According to Dr. Dyer, all you have to do is imagine your dream house or that dream job and POOF! You got it!

He fails to mention the important part of clearing the blocks in one’s psychology, some of which could be very deeply ingrained and carried over from past lives. What would happen to book sales if he tells his audience they need psychological help?

And so the masses have been lulled into believe that they can get anything they want without having to work on themselves. Some real “feel good” stuff for when you’re looking to live on a cloud.

I at times question his intent for being in the public eye, for Dr. Dyer has a very acute case of egomania.

A bit more mainstream than most other gurus, he offers a nice plethora of watered-down teachings for newbies dipping their toes into the field of spirituality. With the privilege of a PBS audience, his idealistic and “feel good” teachings do the job at leading the masses towards happier pastures. This is an 800% improvement from what is mostly on TV these days, so I must give him much credit for that. Nevertheless, the guy will not miss an opportunity to brag about his good deeds.

I can’t say I’ve read all his books, but I’ve seen many of his PBS lectures on life, love, and the laws of attraction. I myself was one to fall for his virtuosity at one time, and used to endorse him big time. (I still do on certain aspects). I then came upon a copy of his book Wishes Fulfilled. This actually was the first and only book of his that I’ve ever read, and it changed my perspective on the Dr. Dyer situation for good.

This book was on his usual topic, how to manifest our dreams into reality, with the standard and typical law of attraction/feel good stuff that we’re so used to hearing. What I got more out of the book was a feel for Dr. Dyer’s need for applause with an ego that has much to prove. Throughout the book there’s much talk of his holiness, how he is surrounded by so many wonderful spirits (with pictures of orbs to prove it), and detailed talks about the good deeds he’s done for so many. The book screams “Look at me! Look how holy and pious I am!”

In addition, the English was so intellectual, with fancy sophisticated words cropping up everywhere. I at times had to grab a dictionary to look up some of his words for they were not common everyday English words. Not sure if he had the average person in mind when writing it. I came so far as to the middle of the book. Then I got bored with it all and stopped reading.

I later stumbled upon an interview of him on YouTube that confirmed my suspicions of his need for praise. The mark of a truly enlightened one is having nothing to prove and nothing to show off. Your good deeds are no one else’s business and require no recognition. In the video below, he talks to Lilou Mace about the good deeds he’s done for so many all in the timespan of just one morning, surely while dressed in his flowing white robe. He then proceeds to talk of his enlightenment and imply how certain he is of his ascension once his lifetime is over.

Is it possible that one can be that sure of themselves???

(A rather long video. Feel free to watch all. There are good parts in it. Or you may skip to 30:00 for the part of the video I describe above.)

Below is a link to a blog post I recently discovered which conveys the Dr. Dyer situation in such perfect light. The author of this post truly said it the best!

http://hidden-guru.blogspot.com/2013/02/wayne-dyer-is-ego-maniac.html

7. Amma – She’ll actually be in town in the blink of an eye! Every summer she makes an appearance here at the Jacob Javitz Center, where for an entire weekend folks come out of the woodworks for the meet and greet. The billboards go up and announce her arrival, and the entire spiritual community is ablaze.

Amma is known as the international female guru/pope who tours the world, making stops in all the major cities, giving free hugs to all who need one. Yup, free hugs.

Backed by a huge money-making international organization in the guise of charitable works, she basically struts around as some kind of sacred mother/deity who welcomes the worship of others. The thought of thousands lining up to receive a hug from one single human being on this planet baffles me.

For someone to set themselves up as if they’re so important that people need to line up for hours…

I cannot understand this form of human worship or the cause for such pomp and bravado!

8. Sylvia Browne- The late psychic/author who claimed to talk to dead people, spirit-guides, fairies, and the like, all the while while completely denying the existence of dark forces. In her world, “it’s all good”!

Often making guest appearances on the Montel Williams Show, she posed as a spokesperson for the dead (and lower spirits). Simply out to seek fame and fortune, audience members were encouraged to line up to hear what news their dearly departed relatives had to tell them from the other side. She would basically set herself up as a liaison between the living and the dead, passing on messages and advice to people about their future. As if our dead relatives, simply because they’re dead, have become all-wise and all-knowing.

Any true teacher/guru would refrain from imposing upon your free will and impeding your spiritual development by telling you what is going to happen in your future. Instead they would advise you to go within and use your intuition to get the answers from yourself. Only someone under the influence of lower spirits would attempt to play fortune teller.

She would sit on stage all puffed up in arrogance, biting on her long claw-like nails. Sometimes it was just all too painful to watch.

One particular episode which stuck in my mind was when an audience member stood up to ask about his own deceased relative. After producing the relative, she then proceeded to pass on a message pertaining to his chronic masturbation problem in front of the entire studio audience and national television.

That did it for me. I was done after that.

9. Sathya Sai Baba- Not a former member of the Jackson 5. Just a famous fro-sportin guru in India who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, an avatar and miracle worker who died a few years before his birth.

Known to materialize small trinkets, sweets, and ash from out of nowhere, the late Sathya Sai Baba was revered as practically a living God by his followers. Instead of advising them that they too are Gods, he allowed them to worship him to the fullest. Devotees he called them. And as they erected him on a pedestal, he allowed his followers to assert their own insignificance. Have you ever heard of such nonsense? Again, more pomp and more self-aggrandizement from the self-proclaimed.

This guy believed he was so holy and all-knowing, that he went as far as stating that he would die at the age of 96. However his age at the time of death in 2011 was only 84. Only off by 12 years or so. No biggie!

He also stated he would be born again 8 years following his death. I suppose the world has yet to see who’s next to proclaim themselves as the latest reincarnation of Sai Baba. Five more years to go before God enters our world again! Can’t wait!

Also known as a multi-millionaire guru who outwardly donated much to feed the poor, this was not a mark of true enlightenment. This was simply the mark of a good philanthropist, as are most millionaires. There is nothing enlightening about donating to the poor. Anyone can do it. So don’t be fooled.

A true enlightened being doesn’t just feed the poor, for that only enables them to remain poor. The truly enlightened goes out there and leaves the poor with knowledge on how to feed themselves, thus raising them up and eradicating their poverty.

Sathya Sai Baba — Just another self-proclaimed God who did his best to maintain his superiority and also maintain the status quo while at it.

For more detailed information feel free to visit the links below.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/04/10-things-we-can-learn-from-the-bizarre-case-of-sai-baba-a-manifesto-on-reality-based-spiritual-empowerment/

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/04/was-sai-baba-really-a-saint/

10. OSHO – Another registered trademark.

I am leery of any type of spiritual teaching that is either a registered trademark or a corporation. This type of pre-packaged, consumer spirituality is designed to not only appeal to the masses, but also packaged to make up for what it lacks. This is spirituality all dolled up for the retail market.

Trademarks are in place to protect an organization from theft. Corporations are created to protect an organization from lawsuits. Spiritual teachings are meant to be universal, with no-one owning a monopoly on them. Any spiritual organization that feels it needs to own a monopoly on its own teachings can only be stuck in duality. Any spiritual organization that feels it needs to protect its name or its teachings from some kind of impending doom, are coming from a lower vibration, for this could only be a reflection of insecurity and uncertainty in its own teachings. The universal mirror is always reflecting back exactly what is in our consciousness. It doesn’t miss a beat.

The organization known as OSHO is based on the teachings of an Indian guru who from 1981 through 1990 lived in the United States, gained a multitude of followers, ruffled a few feathers, and left a stinky mess behind. Known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or simply Osho, he was just another product of Westerners gone ga-ga over the exotic pull of Eastern teachers. In the last 50 years or so, it has become all-the-rage in Western societies to follow an Eastern guru, all in the name of finding that ultimate teacher. All one from India has to do is show up on Western soil, declare themselves a guru, and watch how overnight they will gain a multitude of followers. Simply blurt out any kind of gibberish with an Eastern accent and the masses will come oohing and aahing at their feet, revering them as highly enlightened.

Capturing the attention of those seeking something new, Osho’s outspoken defiance of the establishment and his open attitude towards sex made him appear as some kind of revolutionary guru among the spiritual societies of East and West. Little did people know that his provocative words held little truth and were simply in place to gain more followers. Little did they know that this was an unbalanced egomaniac seeking the spotlight by always surrounding himself with controversy. Osho was an impressive name-dropper with a tendency to contradict himself on a regular basis. His teachings were interspersed with ideas from both East and West, none originally from him, and none questioned by his Western followers.

A very sickly disposition led him to a strong addiction to prescription drugs, particularly Valium. What value is it to take spiritual advice from a drug addict? Do we even know if those were his actual words or just the drugs talking?

Known also for a string of sexual allegations and his fleet of Rolls Royces, he is only revered by most Westerners as a righteous dude. I always thought sexual allegations and a fleet of 90+ Rolls Royces pointed to some form of imbalance, but perhaps my perspective isn’t sophisticated enough.

Not sure what it will take to raise an of eyebrow in the Osho community?

I once got around to reading one of his books titled Being in Love. I don’t think I even got to the middle before I put it away. It read as pure mumbo-jumbo to me… and I did my very best to give it a chance.

As profound and arcane as many claim his teachings to be, I am confident I won’t re-visit this bogus guru’s work anytime soon.

For more on the flip side of Osho, feel free to visit the link below.

Osho, Bhagwan Rajneesh, and the Lost Truth