Debunking the NZ Herald Article | Avatar Course New Zealand
The following is a debunk of false and seriously damaging statements made by Simon Townsend (an Avatar Master) back in 2014 regarding an article in the NZ Herald about the Avatar Course infiltrating New Zealand.
These statements made are not based on fact and are totally avoiding what really goes on within the Avatar Course in New Zealand. This includes the way people are recruited, what is expected of Avatar Masters and the amount of deception, abuse and exploitation which has, and continues, to take place.
As the article goes, Simon Townsend, an Avatar Course New Zealand organiser, who represents Avatar and Stars Edge, stated in the NZ Herald back in 2014:
“There has been some negative publicity about us but that mainly stems from a disgruntled former master in America who was an alcoholic and has since passed away”.
“People who have been on a course and are negative or critical generally do so because there is generally something they have not wanted to look at responsibly and feel like blaming something else. This is a misunderstanding.
“We do not recruit people and this is not multilevel marketing, and nothing says anyone has to go on all of our courses,” he adds.
These claims are lies – not FACTS.
1) There are hundreds, if not thousands of complaints and negative consequences experienced and reported by former Avatar Course New Zealand attendees and masters – not just one past alcoholic. These have included hundreds of critical reviews on the internet, documentaries made, press and media releases, podcasts and critical websites.
For a sample, go here>> Criticism & Evidence
2) People ending up hospitalised, in severe financial debt, experiencing psychological manipulation, abuse and gaslighting, sudden and extreme change in personality, very concerned friends, families and loved ones – has nothing to do with the person “being negative or not willing to responsibly look at something on course”. There have been blatant violations of a human beings and situations which would be considered outside the four walls of “protection” within Avatar as abuse and an invasion of our human rights.
To simply “blame the victim” really highlights the true intentions of this organisation and is a classic sign of destructive cultish behaviour. For an organisation which preaches compassion and enlightenment, this is actually quite an unbelievable response.
3) The Avatar Internship, Integrity Course, Professional Course and even aspects of the Wizards course are all about “getting students” and “filling courses with students”. These include the use of primaries (affirmations repeated daily), increasing our intention, pairing up with a buddy, undertaking ‘rundowns’, and working on our integrity issues to gain students. People are even brought down and ridiculed if they do not bring students. This becomes a common occurrence as people get into the hidden layer of Avatar – the Advanced Intern Program.
Behind the scenes at International courses we are brought together as one large group and recite “as a group” how many students we are all going to get to sign up to the Masters course. This is without the students awareness. This is done as a joint primary.
When interning on International courses we have whole training sessions and recruitment processes (also called ‘Outflow’) held by John P on how to talk to potential people, such as on public transport, speaking to people in shopping centres and cafes and pushing us to make those phone calls to our prospects. At these sessions we are encouraged to bring back the people we talk to about Avatar to the Introductory sessions held each day. Avatar is ALL ABOUT RECRUITING. To say this does not happen is a complete lie!
4) Avatar does have a multi-layed approach with a pyramid structure. You get paid for each student initially and masters have to send 25% of their students payment to Stars Edge in royalties (15% if you are a Star Master). Then you get a commission only for Masters (approx. $300 per student).
QMs who have been part of a students recruitment process will receive financial benefit for them being part of their grid. This is the primary reason why, if a student is recruited in Australia but their home is the Netherlands, they will still be “told” they have to undertake the Avatar Course in Australia, even if it is not their native language. This is exactly the same with the Avatar Course in New Zealand.
As you start interning the money goes up the pyramid to support those further up, such as the QMs. This is not transparent. Group co-operative Avatar courses are now only run for this very reason – to keep the financial supply running and moving up the pyramid. Masters are encouraged to come to an internship even without students, with many masters doing this on a monthly basis – costing them $800 approx. per course, in addition to hotel and travels fees. The amount of masters coming to interns and paying this fee without students far outweighs those that do have students – often 3 times the amount.
5) The lack of disclosure on how the quoted Avatar Course New Zealand organiser gets paid is in alignment with the above comments. There is a complete lack of transparency which even the Avatar Masters are unaware of. Again, this shows the true intentions of this organisation – to keep their financial structure secretive.
6) There is the use of undue influence and huge pressure in signing people up for future courses. People are encouraged to go against partners back, to get out credit cards, to find a way – no matter what. On many occasions if someone does not have the money a Master will be encouraged to step forward and lend to the student. A contract is then set up between a Master and a student as per Trainer’s instructions. Sometimes flights are supported by Master’s donating their flight flybuys to a potential student, so they can make the next course.
Flights for the Masters Course are often checked on behalf of the student by an Avatar Master ‘whilst the student is still undertaking the Avatar Course’ and when they are under an ‘altered state of consciousness’. All students are coerced to attend the next course by filling in an application which is considered to be “setting the intention” to attend the next course, even if they state they do not have the funds.
One-to-one support is provided to make sure the student gets to the next course no matter the consequences and many undertake various Avatar “exercises” – sometimes over a period of several days – which arguably unduly influence and manipulate the student to get them to the next course. This is even the case if surgery, funerals, weddings and family gatherings are missed.
To say “no one is forced to go on our courses” is completely avoiding responsibility and is quite frankly delusional. Under contractual law, many contracts would be considered void due to the amount of undue influence and pressure the potential student is subjected to.
NB: Stars Edge cunningly avoids all responsibility with regards to the student borrowing money by using a small pool of Avatar Masters to contract and lend money on their behalf. This lending is supported and approved by a Stars Edge Trainer – but never ever contracted by Stars Edge as an organisation. Why is this?
Lastly, we would love to know why QMs and Avatar Masters were used to speak on-behalf of this organisation and not those “who are responsible” for both the New Zealand Avatar courses and Stars Edge International? This is especially the case with regards to the official complaints made to the NZ Press Council!
See the original article HERE>> nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm
NZ Press Council complaint 1>> http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/rulings/simon-townsend-against-herald-on-sunday
NZ Press Council complaint 2>> http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/rulings/zoe-dryden-against-herald-on-sunday
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer (attorney) and the above is based on my general understanding of contractual law within Australia. Proper legal advice would need to be sort on a “case by case” basis. The type of activities which have been reported and experienced in relation to undue influence and coercive persuasion include: bullying, harassment, huge pressure, guilt, manipulation, psychological abuse, verbal abuse, ridicule, being ganged up on by multiple Avatar Masters, stalking online and by phone, misrepresentation by Trainers and deceptive practices. Some of these activities have taken place when people have been in an extremely vulnerable state, including their request to get professional help and support (which have been ignored).
Even if the person is losing their relationship, home, business, sanity and have expressed they cannot afford to continue – they may still be convinced otherwise, including loaning of money from other Masters (who have been known to have been bullied into loaning the money by Avra / Trainers), and if they resist this loan, will be pressured until they accept it.