Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 10
A matter of honor. The woman is told that a sexual encounter with the leader is an honor,
a special gift, a way of achieving further growth. This manipulative technique is a slick
combination of sexual coercion and exploitation of the woman‟s faith. A devotee may be
asked, for example, to help the leader relax or feel better. She may be led to believe that
her increasing intimacy with the leader is crucial to his ongoing spiritual work, and is
certainly necessary for her own path to enlightenment or salvation. In this way, sexual
activities with the leader are interpreted and rationalized as spiritually beneficial.
This type of self-serving logic is quite typical of some of the guru-based cults, where even
the supposedly celibate swami justifies his actions by telling each disciple that theirs is a
special relationship, blessed by God or other spiritual higher-ups. Typically the woman is led
to believe that she is the only one with whom the guru is involved. Bolstered by her desire
to obey and live up to her commitment, the woman pushes away any ambivalence she may
feel and surrenders to her guru. Shame and secrecy, not enlightenment, are the outcomes
of these liaisons.
The loyalty test. Transparent as it may seem to those not in a cult, the expectation that
“true” followers will demonstrate their loyalty is an effective tool for manipulating cult
members. The more a leader demands, the more power he gets. Soon he intrudes and
controls every aspect of life. The rationale is that nothing is too sacred to withhold from the
leader. Giving oneself, and sometimes even one‟s children, is viewed as a noble sacrifice.
Physical violence and sexual abuse are incorporated into elaborate rituals in some cults,
where these activities are endowed with mystical or magical meanings. In some cults, the
testing of loyalty may be done in a sexually sadistic manner, further debilitating the follower
and increasing personal confusion and dependency on the leader.
Testing may also take the form of controlling sexual preferences or relationships --for
example, telling a lesbian that she can no longer follow her preference, or instigating a crisis
situation where a person must break off a personal relationship in order to prove loyalty to
the cult. Each time the person obeys the cult at the cost of forgoing her personal
preference, she loses more sense of personal control, and consequently, self-esteem.
Female subservience. Women are strictly controlled in many cults. It is not uncommon for
a woman to be a de facto slave of her spouse, who may not have been chosen or approved
of by her. Nevertheless, she is expected to be completely submissive to all demands placed
on her by her partner--or by those in leadership. Certain groups also condone punishment
of women in the form of beatings or forced sexual intercourse, sometimes in front of a
group. Refusing to go along is regarded as disobedience, and in a cult, disobedience is sin.
In some cults --and this is especially found in certain religious cults, whether based on
Western or Eastern belief systems --women are regarded as second-class citizens. In one
well-known cult, for example, members are taught that the brain of a woman is half the size
of a man‟s. In many groups, the woman is viewed as the cause of all evil in the universe,
the one who brings the man down, diverts him from his spiritual path. The woman is “of the
flesh,” while the man is “of god.” She is lesser, spiritually inferior, negative. Women learn to
take the blame, feel the guilt, and carry the shame of others‟ behavior.
******
Other exploitative scenarios include sex “therapy,” the guise of “true love,” ritualized sex
acts, group sex, and swapping of partners. Seduction, rape, forced drug use, induced
altered states, manipulation of emotions, the imposition of anxiety and fear states, and
other varieties of the misuse of power all surround the sexual abuse perpetrated in cults
and cultic relationships. Vows of silence and pledges of obedience help perpetuate the cruel,
exploitative, and sometimes violent system.

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 11
An Example of Sexual Abuse
in the Name of Spiritual Enhancement5
In one guru-based meditation cult with a strong bias toward a transformational-
psychotherapy worldview, the leader, who had taken vows of celibacy and poverty, began to
have sex with various female members in his inner circle. He described his behavior to them
as a “coveted yoga practice,” and “meditate” became a sort of code word for having sex.
The guru extolled the virtues and value of “meditative sex,” and told each disciple that it
was an honor to be invited into a relationship with him. He explained that he was bestowing
upon them the wisdom of a 7,000-year-old secret, which only the inner circle of renunciates
would share.
When challenged about these teachings, the guru would say, “I am the Teacher, you are the
student, and that is that.” In the evening, the women sat around him and he would teach
and then choose which woman he would “meditate” with that evening. When some women
from the inner circle began to marry in efforts to escape the secret sex scene, the leader,
who often referred to himself as “God‟s agent,” expanded his horizons and incorporated his
sexual style into the group‟s teachings. Others in the group were now expected to also
participate in his secret yogic practice. The guru‟s yogic secret was that anyone who desired
could ask any other member to take part in this spiritual technique. It did not matter who
was married or partnered everyone was up for grabs.
Feelings of jealousy and betrayal were looked down upon, seen as sins, human traits,
spiritually negative and backward divorce was not an option. So, if someone knocked on
your door one night and said, “I want to meditate with you” --off, you‟d go, like it or not. If
your partner displayed or expressed any sign of jealousy, he or she was made to watch the
two of you make love until all feelings of jealousy and betrayal disappeared.
One teaching meant to alleviate feelings of guilt or pangs of morality was the guru‟s concept
of “non-doership.” Three times a day at darshan, the guru repeated: “Celibacy, non-
doership, non-ownership. Renounce the world, including sex and money. Live a life of
working contemplation and meditation.” Non-doership meant that you could do things
without being responsible. The idea was that if one relaxed and let the energy of “natural
meditation” move the body, then responsibility evaporated. It was, after all, only the energy
acting. By this logic, it became acceptable --even desirable --to have sex with anyone
through this agency-free method of natural meditation. In fact, you could be celibate and
still have sex because it was your energy doing it and your energy was not you. The daily
ritual evolved into 45 minutes of meditation leading to sex. By blending a form of
dissociation and a philosophy of personal non-responsibility, the guru was able to justify his
sexual scheme among his followers.
The guru would have sex three to four times a day, and everyone else was expected to do
the same. Among this group, it was considered “religious” and “better” to have sex with
many partners the more sex, the more magnanimous disciples felt. And since no one was
the “doer,” no one was to get upset when his or her partner had sex with others. Falling in
love was verboten, and infidelity was seen as a positive attribute. The guru regularly praised
those who boasted having perhaps five different partners in a day. “You‟re so spiritual,” he
would say.
Although the circle had broadened to include most of those living at one particular ashram,
the guru was clever enough not to make this a widespread practice among his worldwide
followers, so that the majority of regular members had no idea about the sexual abuse
going on around the guru and certain higher level disciples. This strategy served to reinforce
both the secrecy among the inner sex circle and the loyalty of all members.