# Actual Freedom ~ Frequently Flogged Misconceptions Frequently Flogged Misconceptions ## Actualism is a Cult
| Richard needs [the chief disciple] for support. Every man desires a woman (or ‘chick for free’) who is willing to deny her feelings and intuitions, the very culprits for malice and sorrow ... as far as Richard is concerned, that is.
| I find the constant belliteration on the part of the priesthood a bit difficult to interact with; but I have been remaining for the joy of reading No 10’s Extremely Patient and Forthright and Perceptive Challenging of the Coagulating Cultic Communications. The position I take has not changed an iota. I take the position that your disciples are more interested in being right than being free; and that the cult they are subsequently developing is as irrelevant to Actual Freedom as any other religious doctrine.
| For what it’s worth, I didn’t find this ‘Mailing List in question’ to be un-moderated at all. I found it to be extremely moderated seeing as how I wasn’t free to be there unless I wanted to be a true-believing Actualist who practices Actualism.
| I speak with personal experience because I have been in two cults in the past. One of them was very similar to this one which is why I think I initially identified with this one so well. I have extreme reservations about sending this to this list because I am sure it will be denied ...
| Now, although you may be convinced that Richard is not an authority for you (‘because he says so himself’) why don’t your words and attitude bear that out? Why do you put into practice his methods, aim for the state he is in, defend him and criticise others using his words and phraseology and prove him to be right by your own experiences? Is it possible that you may not be aware that this is actually the classic indication of following an authority? The ‘born-again’ Christians show the same behaviour, so did most of the German subjects of Hitler, or Sannyasins or ‘students’ of Barry Long, Andrew Cohen, Adida (or whatever his name is this week!) etc.
| Well-executed lyrics learnt by rote were performed smugly by the 3 chief-disciples in turn, not only boring like hell because of the predictable repetitiveness but alienating in no uncertain terms the other 3 people present, including the hostess ... whom you all failed to acknowledge even politely, but simply used as your servant only and a pair of ears... I couldn’t help but noticing the austere and churchlike atmosphere you four people were intent on creating ...
| My intention in short is to assist in the cult-busting of actualism. That is because in my perception you, Peter of Byron, are immersed in a ‘mini-cult’ after managing to extricate yourself from a larger one. I surmise this from – amongst other indicators – the fact that you always react to what I write, with an indignant re-statement of your self-perceived authority to declare with finality what is actual and what is not.
| This is interesting information, about the conglomeration of old hippies in Byron Bay. I wonder if Richard has assumed the role of a cult leader there? He does seem to fit some of the profile of a cult leader described in a book by Madeleine Tobais and Janja Lalich. Richard, the ‘allegations’ are just the facts that you do fit the profile of a cult leader as outlined in the summary of the profile of a cult leader by Ron Keller which is where I found the URL.
| Hi Gary, Long time no talk. In one of your recent posts you stated that you had looked into it and that this is not a cult. Everything you said above could have Richard’s, Peter’s, Vineeto’s or Alan’s name on it and I could not tell the difference. This is a sure sign of a cult to me. Here is one example: ‘And the pioneering discovery of Actual Freedom is that the sense of being can be eliminated, extirpated in toto.’ I speak with personal experience because I have been in two cults in the past. One of them was very similar to this one which is why I think I initially identified with this one so well.
| I notice something in the conversation between Vineeto and No 66. There is a camaraderie as in between I am already there but you are trying to be me, good. Or from No 66’s side, hey shucks you are there, I am getting there mommy, say cheese. It is all quite pathetic, this hierarchy business. You know in Vipassana (as taught by Goenka), there are stages of seekers. And everybody is trying to attain the recognition as an advanced seeker from everybody else while in the meanwhile forgetting what the whole hoopla was about in the beginning (to be free from suffering and desire).
| Here, ‘the tongue in cheek blesser’ differentiates Alan’s (now) confessed usage, ‘of Richard’s words to describe what (he) was experiencing – and vice-versa to pretend to experience what Richard describe of Richards words’, from the more sensible everyday usage of words’, to simply communicate. As this clearly demonstrates cult-like behaviour, I seem to have achieved the objectives of the AF Trust, no?
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