Deceptive recruitment is a tactic used by a cult which keeps from new recruits (students) their true beliefs, practises and the more negative affects of the Group. They will hide behind a facade of self help, peace and enlightenment. They will tell you how it can change pretty much anything in your life, but will never be upfront as to the possible consequences, nor will they discuss the more controversial aspects of their organisation.
They will not tell you what is really involved if you sign up or take on their mission. They will have little transparency and keep the true business operations from new recruits. They will not be upfront as to the groups true beliefs.
A cult leader will teach their followers that it is because you are not ready, however, this is a common cult tactic. If you knew what it was really about you, would not join, and this is the true reason the ‘truth’ is kept from you.
For example, imagine if the leader of Heavens Gate cult was open and honest about the group and had said to new recruits, “Join us, wear strange clothes, get castrated and then drink poison!” he would not have had many takers.(1)
Instead, beliefs, practises and expectations are introduced to you slowly, one at a time, so you will not notice the gradual change, until eventually you are practicing and believing things which at the start would have caused you to run a mile.
By this time, due to the mind control, undue influence and the thought reform process you have undertaken, it will be extremely challenging to see just how immersed you have become in the Group and what is really happening to you. This is how people can become fanatical about a cause or a leader and honesty have zero idea that they are.
Avatar and Deceptive Recruitment
When it comes to Avatar; Avatar Masters and Stars Edge fail to disclose the following facts to potential students:
- The true origins of the Avatar Course (primarily Scientology, with some Buddishm, Hinduism and NLP thrown in mainly in the beginner courses). Also the fact that the Avatar Course was created only 3 months after Harry Palmer lost a court case to the Church of Scientology.(2)
- The fact that not only was Harry Palmer a high level Scientologist for 15 years but that he was the President of the Elmira Mission of the Church of Scientology from 1975 to 1987 (as per official court cases). They also fail to tell you of the huge scandal in Elmira where Harry Palmer run of with thousand of dollars of students money when he lost his case to the Church of Scientology in 1986 and then introduced Avatar.
- Avatar Masters are not upfront that Harry Palmer’s books: Living Deliberately and the Avatar Path: The Way We Came are fictional. The events never happened as described, which is not what a student is led to believe. This is now backed up with disclaimers in the front of both of these books which are never brought to the attention of students or Avatar Masters. This is misleading. We believe these disclaimers have been inserted over the years due to the amount of ‘truth’ which has resurfaced regarding Harry Palmers true background and sequence of events.
The disclaimers in the books state: “The characters and events described in this book are intended to entertain and teach rather than present an exact factual history of real people or events”.
- A clear philosophy, religious beliefs and occult practices at Wizards onwards (which is clear by reading the materials and even books).
- The various beliefs and doctrine of the group (everything is “your” creation, you create it all, secrets and hidden agendas, nature of creation, entities are the cause of our ills, karma, reincarnation, Bodhisattvas and an intergalactic mission).
- Hidden agenda regarding the push for Avatar Masters and QMs to make sure “every student” gets to Wizards 2020 and takes on the mission of an Enlightened Planetary Civilisation (EPC).
- That the group believes they are a small elite few who are “enlightening” the world and that it is part of an “ancient pact” made before coming to Planet Earth.
- Hidden agenda regarding an initiation process at the beginning of Section 3 of the Avatar Course (all students have to undergo this and there is no get out clause).
- The reality that a huge majority of Masters fail due to the flawed multi-level marketing set up. There are a handful of successful Avatar Masters in the whole network. Most survive of bank loans, credit cards, multiple jobs and loans from other Masters.
- A huge possibility of going into financial debt. Borrowing from friends, family, banks, credit cards and other Masters are encouraged from day one (warning: we strongly advise you do not take this road). Trainers have told students in the past that they can make all their money back after being an Avatar Master. This is extremely rare and it is a lie!
- Abusive activity within the Stars Edge Network, including spiritual, psychological, verbal, financial and emotional. This is especially common within the higher levels.
- Non-beliefs of romantic partnerships and marriage (QM upwards). Although you will occasionally find a QM in a relationship, the Groups beliefs as per Avra and Harry is that marriage and intimate love come second to the cause. Some AI’s have even been manipulated (and humiliated) not to get into relationships or have a sexual life. Some even lower down Masters have been known to have been manipulated with regards to their partners and marriages (leading to divorce). You will rarely find a QM or Trainer in a successful marriage or who has a stable family life. It is pretty much non existent. This is because Harry and Avra’s mission come before relationships, careers, family, friends and your own goals and dreams. This is exactly the same as their Elmira Scientology Mission, where they had no respect for love, marriage, children, family or the importance of a stable home.
- No boundaries. The Avatar Network do not understand that there are clear boundaries between a work place and a Masters personal life. Your personal life will become their business. As you become more committed, you will be slowly influenced into exposing your personal life and made to believe that all your life needs to be aligned with Avatar, Stars Edge and the Mission. This begins to take place from the Wizards course onwards.
- History of hospitalisations. There have been way more than Avatar will ever disclose. These can be as early on as the Avatar Course, going into the Advanced Intern Program, where some devoted Masters have known to have lost their sanity due to the psychological techniques and abusive practices they have endured as being part of the Network.
- History of suicidal tendencies. Again, there are far too many cases of people claiming they felt suicidal after the course or when leaving the group.
- History of mental health issues occurring as a consequence of courses and being part of the Network, such as PTSD, anxiety and depression. There have been some cases of people not able to work for years after their involvement.
- The true financial structure of the organisation, including how QMs and Trainers get paid and where a Masters Internship fee goes. None of this is transparent. Ask your Master for the financial chart and see what is presented to you. Ask them for proof and the average income of Avatar Masters, AIs, QMs and Trainers.
- The extreme beliefs of the group higher up, including lack of respect for conventional medicine, a strong focus on entities being the cause of our ills, that we create everything, including HIV and cancer, and that we have to make amends for our transgressions and karma. Ask them (QM and higher) about their beliefs in transgressions and karma. Then see what happens.
- The need to worship and honour Harry Palmer and Avra Honey-Smith if you have done Wizards and commit to the Advanced Intern Program. This is at an extreme level for Advanced Interns, QMs and Trainers. You are taught to have “reverence” for the Tools and Avatar. This becomes your primary focus in life and their is nothing more sacred than the Tools and taking someone through Avatar.
- The expectation that you will need to give up family commitments, time with friends, weddings, births, funerals and even hospital appointments. (Warning: we strongly suggest you do not take this road. Your family, friends and loved ones are more important than Avatar. So many Masters regret missing out on special events once they have left Avatar and have realised exactly what happened to them).
- A committed Avatar Master will be expected to partake in psychological abusive behaviour, gas lighting, lying and going against their integrity for the sake of the bigger picture. For the more devoted Masters, they will be following the doctrine of having a “Guardian Heart”. A Scientology concept repackaged.
- No critical enquiry allowed of Harry Palmer, Avra Honey-Smith, the Stars Edge Network and Stars Edge International. All questioning is considered to be an “out of integrity” issue of the student/master, or something you are “projecting”. Try it and see what happens!
- The fact that many have called Avatar a “destructive and dangerous cult”. Avatar has a long history of these claims, including press articles and listings on anti-cult websites. Yet this is never brought to the attention of new students and you are not allowed to discuss it.
- The organisations use of Fair Game tactics and encouragement of harassment and threats to their critics. These were extreme when Eldon Braun and other supportive critics were exposing Avatar. There is still evidence of Masters being sent on behalf of Harry Palmer and Avatar which threatened to destroy the person and their whole life. Some have been directly threatened over the years. Even some who have only dabbled in Avatar have been harassed over the years if they are “out of alignment” with the Network.
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(1) see CultWatch – How do cults work? – https://www.cultwatch.com/howcultswork.html
(2) see court case (1986) – http://www.xenu.net/archive/CourtFiles/occf126.html