International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 9, 2018 65
orthodox treatments by helping to reduce stress,
or by encouraging a person to “eat and sleep
better and to exercise and socialize more” (1997,
para. 30). Arguably, the instruments encouraged
people to rest, and in many instances, wait
significant times for results. IKs who
administered the healing by sharing their
instruments may have encouraged a positive
response through their own endorsement of the
products. As a result, users may have attributed
a positive change in their lives (such as better
relationships with children or parents, for
example) or mental states (being calmer and less
confrontational, for instance) to the instruments
rather than simply to the passing of time and
other factors.
The instrument manuals
451F
452 that accompanied the
healing instruments included instructions about
how to operate them. According to these
manuals, the wait time for effect of the healing
varied. GWP publications (or testimonials)
claimed that the effect was almost immediate,
and other claims included a change within 24
hours. In some cases, however, it might take
months before a subject noticed a change.
Supposedly, many instruments affected only the
individual holding it (such as the Healing Puck
V), but some healing instruments reputedly
could heal groups or pets (e.g., Universal
Healing Alignment Symbol). Larger healing
symbols were available for attempts at healing
an area, such as a home or office. These symbols
included the Habitat Alignment Diagram and the
Unified Field Alignment symbol, with a 600-
foot effective radius
452F
453 (GWP, n.d.-k, p. 1).
Most healing instruments were composed of
acrylics, metals, wood, herbs, stones, and salts
(Carreiro, 1987, p. 6 WOMR, 1997).
Additionally, material included colorful
diagrams printed on paper that was pressed
between layers of acrylic. These instruments
were “usually small enough to be held in one
hand” (Carreiro, 1987, p. 6), and the healing was
452 Instruments, and the symbols, had manuals that included
instructions on use, cautions (such as some needing to be kept out
of direct sunlight, or away from children), and some even had
money-back guarantees.
453 The manual stated this figure as both the radius and the
diameter.
“faster [if held] with the left hand” (Miller, as
quoted in WERU 1997b,). In addition, GWP
claimed that instruments manufactured after
September 1, 1995 included the capability for
IKs to perform a telepathic healing on anyone in
the world as long as they had the target’s
permission (GWP n.d.-e). Although GWP did
not conduct any scientific studies on these
instruments, a former member had the contents
of one of the healing instruments analyzed. This
former member sent one of the instruments to an
independent laboratory, where the contents were
subject to investigation by “light microscopy,
infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron
microscopy” (Miller, M., 2005, p. 2).
453F
454 The
study concluded that the contents of the puck
were inconsistent with sand, but were consistent
with the chemical makeup of 12 compounds and
“cell salts” that GWP claimed to be in the
healing instrument (Miller, 2005, pp. 2–3).
Although the study concluded that the chemical
composition of the central plug of the Healing
Puck was consistent with GWP claims, from the
perspective of physical science, the fact that this
content was locked inside layers of acrylic
would have made it impossible for the contents
to have any direct effect on an individual (i.e.,
the substances were not applied topically, nor
ingested).
The price of the healing instruments steadily
increased over the course of GWP’s history.
Mary Miller claimed that if people were
financially invested in the instrument and
project, then they were more likely to share the
instruments and the project (WOMR, 1997).
Fees served as a deterrent for those whom GWP
leaders saw as undesirable specifically, the fees
“[kept] New Age dabblers away from this
serious technology” (GWP n.d.-h, p. [2]). When
GWP began requesting money in exchange for
the healing instruments, a letter to IKs referred
to this change of policy as a “kind of ...
enforced donation” (GWP, 1995, p. 1). The
letter further assured the IKs that “the actual
value of the Healing Instruments cannot be
determined in human terms” (GWP, 1995, p. 1),
454 Please note that, despite the same name, this Mary Miller was in
no way associated with GWP and was a consultant with an
independent laboratory.
orthodox treatments by helping to reduce stress,
or by encouraging a person to “eat and sleep
better and to exercise and socialize more” (1997,
para. 30). Arguably, the instruments encouraged
people to rest, and in many instances, wait
significant times for results. IKs who
administered the healing by sharing their
instruments may have encouraged a positive
response through their own endorsement of the
products. As a result, users may have attributed
a positive change in their lives (such as better
relationships with children or parents, for
example) or mental states (being calmer and less
confrontational, for instance) to the instruments
rather than simply to the passing of time and
other factors.
The instrument manuals
451F
452 that accompanied the
healing instruments included instructions about
how to operate them. According to these
manuals, the wait time for effect of the healing
varied. GWP publications (or testimonials)
claimed that the effect was almost immediate,
and other claims included a change within 24
hours. In some cases, however, it might take
months before a subject noticed a change.
Supposedly, many instruments affected only the
individual holding it (such as the Healing Puck
V), but some healing instruments reputedly
could heal groups or pets (e.g., Universal
Healing Alignment Symbol). Larger healing
symbols were available for attempts at healing
an area, such as a home or office. These symbols
included the Habitat Alignment Diagram and the
Unified Field Alignment symbol, with a 600-
foot effective radius
452F
453 (GWP, n.d.-k, p. 1).
Most healing instruments were composed of
acrylics, metals, wood, herbs, stones, and salts
(Carreiro, 1987, p. 6 WOMR, 1997).
Additionally, material included colorful
diagrams printed on paper that was pressed
between layers of acrylic. These instruments
were “usually small enough to be held in one
hand” (Carreiro, 1987, p. 6), and the healing was
452 Instruments, and the symbols, had manuals that included
instructions on use, cautions (such as some needing to be kept out
of direct sunlight, or away from children), and some even had
money-back guarantees.
453 The manual stated this figure as both the radius and the
diameter.
“faster [if held] with the left hand” (Miller, as
quoted in WERU 1997b,). In addition, GWP
claimed that instruments manufactured after
September 1, 1995 included the capability for
IKs to perform a telepathic healing on anyone in
the world as long as they had the target’s
permission (GWP n.d.-e). Although GWP did
not conduct any scientific studies on these
instruments, a former member had the contents
of one of the healing instruments analyzed. This
former member sent one of the instruments to an
independent laboratory, where the contents were
subject to investigation by “light microscopy,
infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron
microscopy” (Miller, M., 2005, p. 2).
453F
454 The
study concluded that the contents of the puck
were inconsistent with sand, but were consistent
with the chemical makeup of 12 compounds and
“cell salts” that GWP claimed to be in the
healing instrument (Miller, 2005, pp. 2–3).
Although the study concluded that the chemical
composition of the central plug of the Healing
Puck was consistent with GWP claims, from the
perspective of physical science, the fact that this
content was locked inside layers of acrylic
would have made it impossible for the contents
to have any direct effect on an individual (i.e.,
the substances were not applied topically, nor
ingested).
The price of the healing instruments steadily
increased over the course of GWP’s history.
Mary Miller claimed that if people were
financially invested in the instrument and
project, then they were more likely to share the
instruments and the project (WOMR, 1997).
Fees served as a deterrent for those whom GWP
leaders saw as undesirable specifically, the fees
“[kept] New Age dabblers away from this
serious technology” (GWP n.d.-h, p. [2]). When
GWP began requesting money in exchange for
the healing instruments, a letter to IKs referred
to this change of policy as a “kind of ...
enforced donation” (GWP, 1995, p. 1). The
letter further assured the IKs that “the actual
value of the Healing Instruments cannot be
determined in human terms” (GWP, 1995, p. 1),
454 Please note that, despite the same name, this Mary Miller was in
no way associated with GWP and was a consultant with an
independent laboratory.
