shaved head. My “vows” were extended in this
fashion three times.
Although vaguely aware of a creeping
authoritarianism in Andrew’s approach, I still
felt trustful of his motivations, and I still
considered the balance of things to be tipped
totally in his favor.
Finding Foxhollow
In 1994, Andrew put me in charge of a search
for a home, or ashram, for his growing
community. Eventually, the search turned to the
East Coast, where we found a 220-acre property
in Lenox, Massachusetts.
At close to $3 million, the property, known as
Foxhollow, required far more funds than were
available. Andrew was counting on the largesse
of a wealthy student, Jane O’Neil, who had
earlier offered a loan toward the purchase of a
property. Instead, Andrew now asked Jane to
consider donating the money. Andrew charged
a senior student who was one of Jane’s closest
friends with bringing her around to donating
rather than lending the money.
Jane was gradually persuaded to finance the
purchase, with the stipulation that the donation
be kept strictly confidential, to keep her family
from finding out. Andrew agreed.
Within a few months, the property was officially
ours. I have a photo of a beaming Jane O’Neil
and me standing together in front of Foxhollow.
Seeing that photo now, I cringe at the memory
of how Jane was manipulated while I silently
stood by. Within 2 years, Jane had left the
community. Days after Jane’s departure, an
angry Andrew Cohen publicly revealed that she
had been the donor who made Foxhollow
possible.
Soon we began restoration of the Manor House,
the largest of about a dozen buildings. It was
one of the happiest times of my career as
Andrew's right-hand man. I became
Foxhollow’s business manager and a member of
its Board of Directors. I also lived in Andrew’s
house, the only student other than his wife who
shared that privilege.
At Foxhollow, the number of practices,
meetings, and projects began to multiply.
Andrew spoke about “an absolute relationship to
life” as a feature of the enlightened condition
and, as his students, we were committed to the
cultivation of an “all-hands-on-deck” attitude.
Nearly a decade had passed since I first met
Andrew Cohen. Foxhollow was my home, my
fellow students were my family, and Andrew
was my spiritual mentor. Yet not everything
was as it seemed. In addition to new rules and
practices that seemed to contradict some of
Andrew’s earlier teachings, money began to
have a growing influence on day-to-day life. To
help finance Foxhollow, Andrew instituted an
entrance fee of $1,000 per formal student for
each year of prior participation. This fee
entitled the student to participate at Foxhollow.
Thus, with the gradual imposition of rules, taxes,
and spirit-breaking confrontational meetings, the
climate in Andrew’s community had changed
significantly and I began to witness
transformations in Andrew’s personality,
methods, and teachings that would take me years
to fully comprehend. But in 1997, with a
gleaming new facility, a growing community,
and my own personal sense of accomplishment,
Foxhollow was still where I wanted to be. At
that point, I could not see the storm clouds
gathering on the horizon.
The Dark Side of Enlightenment
Some of the changes in our new environment
were subtle, such as the institution of a daily
exercise regime others, while they were closely
guarded secrets that occurred only behind closed
doors, were not subtle at all, such as punishment
in the form of physical abuse. These changes
were indicative of the power that Andrew Cohen
sought to exert on his followers’ lives. They
were also harbingers of even more egregious
abuses to come.
As Andrew's influence over us grew, he became
more controlling of our sexual and romantic
lives. As a long-term member, I could seek
companionship only among the few women who
had proven themselves through years of
devotion and service to Andrew.
One could not seek a partner outside the
community, and there were no casual sexual
encounters. As a result, I spent all but 6 months
International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014 31
fashion three times.
Although vaguely aware of a creeping
authoritarianism in Andrew’s approach, I still
felt trustful of his motivations, and I still
considered the balance of things to be tipped
totally in his favor.
Finding Foxhollow
In 1994, Andrew put me in charge of a search
for a home, or ashram, for his growing
community. Eventually, the search turned to the
East Coast, where we found a 220-acre property
in Lenox, Massachusetts.
At close to $3 million, the property, known as
Foxhollow, required far more funds than were
available. Andrew was counting on the largesse
of a wealthy student, Jane O’Neil, who had
earlier offered a loan toward the purchase of a
property. Instead, Andrew now asked Jane to
consider donating the money. Andrew charged
a senior student who was one of Jane’s closest
friends with bringing her around to donating
rather than lending the money.
Jane was gradually persuaded to finance the
purchase, with the stipulation that the donation
be kept strictly confidential, to keep her family
from finding out. Andrew agreed.
Within a few months, the property was officially
ours. I have a photo of a beaming Jane O’Neil
and me standing together in front of Foxhollow.
Seeing that photo now, I cringe at the memory
of how Jane was manipulated while I silently
stood by. Within 2 years, Jane had left the
community. Days after Jane’s departure, an
angry Andrew Cohen publicly revealed that she
had been the donor who made Foxhollow
possible.
Soon we began restoration of the Manor House,
the largest of about a dozen buildings. It was
one of the happiest times of my career as
Andrew's right-hand man. I became
Foxhollow’s business manager and a member of
its Board of Directors. I also lived in Andrew’s
house, the only student other than his wife who
shared that privilege.
At Foxhollow, the number of practices,
meetings, and projects began to multiply.
Andrew spoke about “an absolute relationship to
life” as a feature of the enlightened condition
and, as his students, we were committed to the
cultivation of an “all-hands-on-deck” attitude.
Nearly a decade had passed since I first met
Andrew Cohen. Foxhollow was my home, my
fellow students were my family, and Andrew
was my spiritual mentor. Yet not everything
was as it seemed. In addition to new rules and
practices that seemed to contradict some of
Andrew’s earlier teachings, money began to
have a growing influence on day-to-day life. To
help finance Foxhollow, Andrew instituted an
entrance fee of $1,000 per formal student for
each year of prior participation. This fee
entitled the student to participate at Foxhollow.
Thus, with the gradual imposition of rules, taxes,
and spirit-breaking confrontational meetings, the
climate in Andrew’s community had changed
significantly and I began to witness
transformations in Andrew’s personality,
methods, and teachings that would take me years
to fully comprehend. But in 1997, with a
gleaming new facility, a growing community,
and my own personal sense of accomplishment,
Foxhollow was still where I wanted to be. At
that point, I could not see the storm clouds
gathering on the horizon.
The Dark Side of Enlightenment
Some of the changes in our new environment
were subtle, such as the institution of a daily
exercise regime others, while they were closely
guarded secrets that occurred only behind closed
doors, were not subtle at all, such as punishment
in the form of physical abuse. These changes
were indicative of the power that Andrew Cohen
sought to exert on his followers’ lives. They
were also harbingers of even more egregious
abuses to come.
As Andrew's influence over us grew, he became
more controlling of our sexual and romantic
lives. As a long-term member, I could seek
companionship only among the few women who
had proven themselves through years of
devotion and service to Andrew.
One could not seek a partner outside the
community, and there were no casual sexual
encounters. As a result, I spent all but 6 months
International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 5, 2014 31
