16 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2010
[and as a result,] he began to delve
therein. This search led him to [make
the claim that he had studied] all the
leading spiritual philosophies of the East
and West, finally arriving at the point
where he could clearly discern that there
should be no division between the
concept of the East and West…. [I]n
unity [of philosophy] there is
harmony…. All laws of nature are
irrevocable. There is no favouritism for
anyone. These laws penetrate into the
smallest details of our lives. Therefore,
no matter what may be the nature of the
problem, it can be solved by the
application of the laws contained within
the Kabalarian Philosophy. (Kabalarian
Philosophy, “History...,” 2009)
When one examines these and other basic
Kabalarian beliefs, one cannot see the
undercurrent of sexual violence that permeated
two decades of the movement’s history. The
contradiction between belief and behavior,
however, played a crucial role in the breakdown
of the movement. The dissension that grew was
a direct reaction to the incongruity between the
movement’s spiritual message and the leader’s
disregard for these same principles, although it
took decades for this incongruity to fester into
disillusionment, confrontation, and, finally,
disaffection.
Shearing As Charismatic Leader
While trying to exhaustively define charisma
and the charismatic individual goes beyond the
scope of this paper, the work of Max Weber
establishes the groundwork for an understanding
of the charismatic individual that later scholars
such as Lorne Dawson (2006 2002), Anthony
Storr (1996), and Len Oakes (1997), for
example, build upon. Weber states that the
defining characteristic of charisma is that this
quality
sets [the individual] apart from ordinary
men … [who is then] treated as
endowed with supernatural,
superhuman, or at least specifically
exceptional powers or qualities. These
[qualities] are such as are not accessible
to the ordinary person, but are regarded
as of divine origin or as exemplary, and
on the basis of them the individual
concerned is [often] treated as a leader
[to those who recognize and accept the
individual’s uniqueness]. (Weber, On
Charisma, 1968:48)
By applying Weber’s assertions to our
exploration of Ivon Shearing’s leadership of the
Kabalarian Philosophy, we see that Shearing
clearly displayed charismatic qualities as the
movement’s leader, but the women’s collective
disaffection eroded his authority, acting as the
final impetus in the collapse of the movement.
As the transcripts present it, there seems to be
little argument disputing Shearing’s role as the
charismatic leader of the movement, although
there is no official mention on the group’s
official Website in 2009 of him by name, or of
his twenty-five-year tenure as leader. It is clear
from the court evidence, however, that Shearing
used his position to establish which of the
movement’s doctrines he felt were the most
important to follow, how members behaved, the
level of control he wished to exert over his
followers, and, to a degree, how members
perceived him. Otto F. Kernberg defines this
type of leadership style as part of the
…syndrome of malignant narcissism….
The leader … experiences and expresses
an inordinate grandiosity, needs to be
loved, admired, feared and submitted to
at the same time, cannot accept
submission from others except when it
is accompanied by an intense idealizing
loyalty and abandonment of all
independent judgment, and experiences
any manifestation contrary to his wishes
as a sadistic, willful, grave attack
against himself. (2003:693)
Court testimony bears out the contention that
Shearing seemingly possessed the features of
malignant narcissism, given that members were
not allowed to challenge any of his
proclamations or actions (Witness #8, R. v.
Shearing, 1997:670) he was to be understood as
“an ultimate authority, that anything Mr.
Shearing said or did was in your best interests”
(Witness #3, R. v. Shearing, 1997:248) and “if
we didn’t understand something that [Shearing]
[and as a result,] he began to delve
therein. This search led him to [make
the claim that he had studied] all the
leading spiritual philosophies of the East
and West, finally arriving at the point
where he could clearly discern that there
should be no division between the
concept of the East and West…. [I]n
unity [of philosophy] there is
harmony…. All laws of nature are
irrevocable. There is no favouritism for
anyone. These laws penetrate into the
smallest details of our lives. Therefore,
no matter what may be the nature of the
problem, it can be solved by the
application of the laws contained within
the Kabalarian Philosophy. (Kabalarian
Philosophy, “History...,” 2009)
When one examines these and other basic
Kabalarian beliefs, one cannot see the
undercurrent of sexual violence that permeated
two decades of the movement’s history. The
contradiction between belief and behavior,
however, played a crucial role in the breakdown
of the movement. The dissension that grew was
a direct reaction to the incongruity between the
movement’s spiritual message and the leader’s
disregard for these same principles, although it
took decades for this incongruity to fester into
disillusionment, confrontation, and, finally,
disaffection.
Shearing As Charismatic Leader
While trying to exhaustively define charisma
and the charismatic individual goes beyond the
scope of this paper, the work of Max Weber
establishes the groundwork for an understanding
of the charismatic individual that later scholars
such as Lorne Dawson (2006 2002), Anthony
Storr (1996), and Len Oakes (1997), for
example, build upon. Weber states that the
defining characteristic of charisma is that this
quality
sets [the individual] apart from ordinary
men … [who is then] treated as
endowed with supernatural,
superhuman, or at least specifically
exceptional powers or qualities. These
[qualities] are such as are not accessible
to the ordinary person, but are regarded
as of divine origin or as exemplary, and
on the basis of them the individual
concerned is [often] treated as a leader
[to those who recognize and accept the
individual’s uniqueness]. (Weber, On
Charisma, 1968:48)
By applying Weber’s assertions to our
exploration of Ivon Shearing’s leadership of the
Kabalarian Philosophy, we see that Shearing
clearly displayed charismatic qualities as the
movement’s leader, but the women’s collective
disaffection eroded his authority, acting as the
final impetus in the collapse of the movement.
As the transcripts present it, there seems to be
little argument disputing Shearing’s role as the
charismatic leader of the movement, although
there is no official mention on the group’s
official Website in 2009 of him by name, or of
his twenty-five-year tenure as leader. It is clear
from the court evidence, however, that Shearing
used his position to establish which of the
movement’s doctrines he felt were the most
important to follow, how members behaved, the
level of control he wished to exert over his
followers, and, to a degree, how members
perceived him. Otto F. Kernberg defines this
type of leadership style as part of the
…syndrome of malignant narcissism….
The leader … experiences and expresses
an inordinate grandiosity, needs to be
loved, admired, feared and submitted to
at the same time, cannot accept
submission from others except when it
is accompanied by an intense idealizing
loyalty and abandonment of all
independent judgment, and experiences
any manifestation contrary to his wishes
as a sadistic, willful, grave attack
against himself. (2003:693)
Court testimony bears out the contention that
Shearing seemingly possessed the features of
malignant narcissism, given that members were
not allowed to challenge any of his
proclamations or actions (Witness #8, R. v.
Shearing, 1997:670) he was to be understood as
“an ultimate authority, that anything Mr.
Shearing said or did was in your best interests”
(Witness #3, R. v. Shearing, 1997:248) and “if
we didn’t understand something that [Shearing]
