The French have anti-cult legislation in place. It condemns what they define as "la manipulation mentale." Elan Vital is on their list of offending organizations.
Rawat was continually followed by authorities the last time he stepped foot on French soil, in 2001. He spoke at Versailles and made a quick exit from the country. A short report of this visit is provided on the Prem Rawat AKA Maharaji Info website:
A headline story on Prem Rawat in the French language magazine Combat, appeared in May, 2001, shortly before Rawat was due to speak in Paris. Following the Combat article press interest was high, and learning that there was a media 'reception' awaiting him at Versailles Airport, Rawat had his jet diverted to another airport, something which only served to arouse the interest of the French authorities and media further. On a previous visit the French police noted that Rawat was accompanied by the largest security detail they had seen for anyone other than the late Yassar Arafat. (see website at http://www.prem-rawat-maharaji.info/index.php?id=27)
Modified by Grapevine at Tue, May 09, 2006, 09:59:20
Why do they always write this? It is meant to imply that millions of people are clamoring for his presence, and he has deigned to appear at this specific place? Oh, gag.
Yes, and more. I was offline last year when this was posted and read it for the first time just the other day. It's got quite a lot of good information about how the cult operates to deceive people, not only publicly, but Rawat's own devotees. If he waited for real invitations, he'd be sitting in Malibu for the rest of his life!
Thanks for the link. Unbelievable. I'd missed anything about the dog. The "Lord of the Universe" travels with a dog? His backstage companion is a dog? And who cleans up that hotel balcony? Does his lordship wield the poop-scoop?
I gasped when I read about how Prem Rawat's identity is protected by premies when they are negotiating rental space and hotel suites by referring to him as "The Speaker."
I hadn't thought about it for a while, but back in 1979-80 at the DECA project part of my "service" was to ensure that no premie working there uttered Rawat's name at any time. He was referred to as "The Client" at all times, and if I heard someone say "Maharaji," I was supposed to speak in a "satsang" way to the premie and "remind" them about confidentiality.
This was to protect him from having any association to that project and from possible leaks to the media about the jet project, by vendors, FFA officials, and anyone else that was an "outsider," that was on the premises.
The irony of it all is that people are so curious that "outsiders" easily figured out who "The Client" was anyway, especially those folks who had to be at the hangar a lot, like the FAA guys. It was silly to think they wouldn't figure out that "The Client" was Guru Maharaj Ji," and I can just imagine how much more that secrecy made us look like a cult, working in a cult compound.
Modified by Cynthia at Wed, May 10, 2006, 07:22:24
Hi Cynthia. Yes, I remember somewhere along in the eraly 90's signing up for some usher training, and going to meetings for same. It seemed so weird to keep referring to him as "The Speaker" at a time when there was still a lot of the "Lord of the Universe" stuff still around, at least in our neck of the woods! But I accepted it as, OK, now we're being professional! It's a good business model and we all need to get with it, and be "professional". Even so, I wondered what was being hidden, and why. If knowledge is so perfect (we believed that it was) and the Master is The ONE to offer it to world, who's being protected by this neutral language, and why? Obviously I didn't understand anything. An unlit match. I did get to usher, though--once, in the far back--making sure people didn't trip up some steps to their seats. Oh boy, the bliss...
"Mostly this mail does not reach Maharaji - nor has it for many years. Generally it is destroyed unread.
The mechanics are simple: at an event, a premie known to have access to PAMs will be given a bundle of mail to be forwarded to M. The PAM on the spot (e.g. Craig Weeding), knowing the routine, and after verifying that the bundle does not contain a letter from someone important, will say, 'Throw it in the trash.' It will all then be thrown in the trash.
Occasionally some letters will be salvaged so M can quote from them at an event - but these are the exceptions.
When M leaves a city where he has a Residence, his mail is left, unopened, in the Residence. It, too, is thrown in the trash.
It might be worth mentioning this one to your premie friends when the next divine visit is imminent. It could save them shopping a whole afternoon for the perfect card for the perfect master, and an evening's work distilling their deepest feelings onto paper. (It still happens, believe me: I've delivered M's mail myself.)"
All those lotus flower cards in the trash. And to think I used to feel so guilty when I didn't have the money to even buy a card for the darshan line,and instead just put the rest of my "festival" ashram food allowance into the envelopes offered at the darshan line.
I used to write to Maharaji every day (and mail them!) in the late 1970s when I lived in Hartford, CT, until I got transferred to Miami. Dot Proctor and another woman who's name escapes me right now, responded to "letters to Maharaji," from Denver DLM IHQ and later from Miami Beach in the Broadripple ashram. I know this because there was a room at the Broadripple that had about six word processors (before personal computers) and on occasion I'd be working late into the night on DECA stuff, and Dot and the other sister were also there.
I got quite a few responses from "Maharaji," at the Hartford ashram -- never from him directly. It was their service to respond to some letters written by premies, and I have no idea what criteria they used to pick and choose who to write back to.
Modified by Cynthia at Sat, May 13, 2006, 07:10:57
Apart from the nauseating spin - there's a much more important reason for that cypher apearing in advance of every one one of Rawat's gigs.
It's pure legaleese. So long as it can be shown that someone other than Rawat wants him to be wherever - then having the various charities pay for his plane and hotels and meals meets the IRS rquirements for legitimate expenditure.
