So well said. I am grateful to Michael/Mutkananda (Ji?) for helping me get that letter delivered 24 years ago. He advocated for the Jagdeo victims and helped free a lot of premies from the cult.
Cult hopping is a well known phenomenon. Even Mark Vicente of "the Vow" "NXVIM" went from one cult to another. He had a leadership role in NXVIM and hesitates to name the first cult in interviews.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/what-is-cult-hopping-nxivm-dos-838750/
I like your benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was as sincerely drawn in the Sai Maa as he once was to Maharaj Ji. Maybe he really thinks he has now found the one true thing that looks exactly like a cult but isn't.
The other side of this doubt though is he was no ordinary member of either group. Both Prem Rawat and Sai Maa are accused of financial exploitation of their followers. It appears Michael/Mutkananda played a similar role in structuring her group to his in DLM/EV. I don't know if Michael left Prem Rawat with money, and I don't know if he financially benefits from his new spiritual businesses. But it seems a very fair and obvious question.
Personally, I feel a little shocked, angry, sad and maybe even a tad betrayed. Only because, my name has been on the EPO Jagdeo Issue homepage for decades along side Michael's, and on some level this may possibly hurt me as well. It in no way adds to his credibility and can't help mine.
(edit.. I know I heard he was following another guru years ago. It wasn't quite the same as seeing this new website and learning his new name. I am pretty sure there was some discussion of this years ago)
Another link on Reddit- another similarity- children of members
https://www.reddit.com/r/cults/comments/lmv5zm/in_your_opinion_is_sai_maasai_maas_organization_a/
