Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 3, Nos. 2 &3, 2004, Page 82
at a time of psychological crisis for Applewhite, and apparently Nettles convinced him that
they were meant to be together, as platonic soul mates—and for a higher, more spiritual
purpose.
Separating themselves from family and friends and living as mystics, in 1974 and ‘75
Applewhite and Nettles went on a recruitment drive across the southwest and western
United States. Through what they described as their ―awakening‖ experience, they became
convinced that they were the two messengers talked about in the Book of Revelations in the
Bible. They believed they were here to bring word of the Second Coming. Their first real
success at recruiting came at a meeting in Los Angeles in April 1975, from which they
amassed a few dozen followers. Afterwards, with their new band of eager followers, they
staged similar meetings, finding audiences on or near college campuses or in progressive or
alternative-type locales. Their advance posters tended to draw curious individuals from
communities of seekers and people with an interest in UFOs and supernatural phenomena.
The two leaders appeared self-assured and a little mysterious, projecting a certain aura that
tended to appeal to the crowds before them. Before long, the group‘s numbers swelled.
They gained more than one hundred followers from their first four public meetings in
California, Oregon, and Colorado.
Recruits ranged in age from late teens to sixties many had at least some college education
some had completed undergraduate and graduate degrees and other specialized training.
Most of the early followers self-identified as seekers of truth who had experimented with
various religious and spiritual paths, from Scientology, Eastern religions, and Catholicism to
spiritualism and magic. Some had been engaged in social activism, such as
environmentalism and the women‘s movement. Even though some gave up seemingly
successful lives and careers, most were less situationally stable at the time they ran into the
group—for example, they were close to graduation from college, had just ended a
relationship, had just lost someone important to them, were dissatisfied with their life in
some way, or were simply on the hippie trail, as were so many others at that time.
The appeal of this group was rooted in the fact that Applewhite and Nettles were offering
something different—something unique, yet familiar. They talked of reincarnation, spirit
beings, UFOs, and cosmic consciousness—all familiar concepts in the growing New Age
movement of the 1970s. At the same time, this was not the same old trip with the best hit
of acid or the same old long-haired group spouting the same old verses out of the same old
Bible or Hindu text. What these two were offering seemed to be better, combining a little bit
of everything and it came across as really ―far out.‖ If nothing else, it was original. These
two prophets and their newly gathered disciples sounded knowledgeable enough and
mysterious enough to entice the curious and the sincere. They appeared to awaken a
dormant yearning in the hearts of those who responded. One follower, who had been in and
out of the group since 1976, remarked, ―I knew I was linked to them in a way that I
couldn‘t explain. It was such an intense experience.... After the second meeting I went
outside and cried for joy.‖ Another former member said, ―I just felt drawn to them. You
could feel the goodness.‖
Most of the time most members did not know the whereabouts of their two leaders. The
Two (as they were often called in those days) simply arrived for meetings, and on occasion,
entertained visits at their home from their Elders or Helpers. The two leaders continuously
maintained that being around others lowered their vibrational level. Ultimately, though,
their reclusive behavior was a useful pattern in keeping them apart from their followers,
while adding to their mystique and perpetuating the leader myth. Yet, the pooled money of
their followers was supporting them in that elusive behavior. The members‘ fear of losing
their leaders and/or their sense of frustration over their absences were emotions that were
handily transformed into a sense of stimulation and anticipation. ―We never knew if we
would see them again,‖ said one former follower who had been among the first batch of
at a time of psychological crisis for Applewhite, and apparently Nettles convinced him that
they were meant to be together, as platonic soul mates—and for a higher, more spiritual
purpose.
Separating themselves from family and friends and living as mystics, in 1974 and ‘75
Applewhite and Nettles went on a recruitment drive across the southwest and western
United States. Through what they described as their ―awakening‖ experience, they became
convinced that they were the two messengers talked about in the Book of Revelations in the
Bible. They believed they were here to bring word of the Second Coming. Their first real
success at recruiting came at a meeting in Los Angeles in April 1975, from which they
amassed a few dozen followers. Afterwards, with their new band of eager followers, they
staged similar meetings, finding audiences on or near college campuses or in progressive or
alternative-type locales. Their advance posters tended to draw curious individuals from
communities of seekers and people with an interest in UFOs and supernatural phenomena.
The two leaders appeared self-assured and a little mysterious, projecting a certain aura that
tended to appeal to the crowds before them. Before long, the group‘s numbers swelled.
They gained more than one hundred followers from their first four public meetings in
California, Oregon, and Colorado.
Recruits ranged in age from late teens to sixties many had at least some college education
some had completed undergraduate and graduate degrees and other specialized training.
Most of the early followers self-identified as seekers of truth who had experimented with
various religious and spiritual paths, from Scientology, Eastern religions, and Catholicism to
spiritualism and magic. Some had been engaged in social activism, such as
environmentalism and the women‘s movement. Even though some gave up seemingly
successful lives and careers, most were less situationally stable at the time they ran into the
group—for example, they were close to graduation from college, had just ended a
relationship, had just lost someone important to them, were dissatisfied with their life in
some way, or were simply on the hippie trail, as were so many others at that time.
The appeal of this group was rooted in the fact that Applewhite and Nettles were offering
something different—something unique, yet familiar. They talked of reincarnation, spirit
beings, UFOs, and cosmic consciousness—all familiar concepts in the growing New Age
movement of the 1970s. At the same time, this was not the same old trip with the best hit
of acid or the same old long-haired group spouting the same old verses out of the same old
Bible or Hindu text. What these two were offering seemed to be better, combining a little bit
of everything and it came across as really ―far out.‖ If nothing else, it was original. These
two prophets and their newly gathered disciples sounded knowledgeable enough and
mysterious enough to entice the curious and the sincere. They appeared to awaken a
dormant yearning in the hearts of those who responded. One follower, who had been in and
out of the group since 1976, remarked, ―I knew I was linked to them in a way that I
couldn‘t explain. It was such an intense experience.... After the second meeting I went
outside and cried for joy.‖ Another former member said, ―I just felt drawn to them. You
could feel the goodness.‖
Most of the time most members did not know the whereabouts of their two leaders. The
Two (as they were often called in those days) simply arrived for meetings, and on occasion,
entertained visits at their home from their Elders or Helpers. The two leaders continuously
maintained that being around others lowered their vibrational level. Ultimately, though,
their reclusive behavior was a useful pattern in keeping them apart from their followers,
while adding to their mystique and perpetuating the leader myth. Yet, the pooled money of
their followers was supporting them in that elusive behavior. The members‘ fear of losing
their leaders and/or their sense of frustration over their absences were emotions that were
handily transformed into a sense of stimulation and anticipation. ―We never knew if we
would see them again,‖ said one former follower who had been among the first batch of
