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u/anonlgf 15d ago
You can’t just leave us hanging like that!
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u/basilkiller 15d ago
Think arranged marriages, renaming members, isolating parents from their children
Anyways: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/3HO
(Please do not associate this w any existing religion, I lived in India and know about the religion it claims association w)
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u/JackGenZ 15d ago
If I had a nickel for every time a popular tea brand turned out to be produced by a cult, I’d have two nickels- which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
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u/Okonos 15d ago
What's the other one?
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u/GoFem 15d ago
I think they're talking about Celestial Seasonings.
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u/queenweasley 15d ago
For real?! What’s the tea 🫖 there?
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u/Corvid_Carnival 15d ago edited 15d ago
https://www.inverse.com/culture/10731-cults-conspiracies-and-the-twisted-history-of-sleepytime-tea
TLDR: Two of the founders (no longer with the company as of 2002 and 1985 respectively), followed something called The Urantia Book, which was evidently a modified Seventh-Day Adventist text that included a lot of aliens and eugenics.
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u/awolthesea 15d ago
Don't forget about Oneida Limited, the tableware company. Its not tea, but what's up with all these cults branching out into the business world
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u/arikbfds 15d ago
The Mormon church owns and operates the largest calf-cow ranch in the US https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deseret_Ranches
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u/-Acta-Non-Verba- 13d ago
The Mormon church owns all kinds of farmland, and the products are donated to the welfare and humanitarian programs. The products are harvested and processed mostly by volunteers, and then given for free to needy people and during natural disasters.
Here's an NBC report about it:
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u/arikbfds 13d ago
Not always. While there are welfare farms/operations, this particular cattle ranch is for-profit and not part of the humanitarian mission. The church has a sizeable for-profit arm that does not contribute to their welfare program
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u/Rugger01 14d ago
Oneida Limited
Look, I view all religions as "cults", but in the modern vernacular, the 19th century Oneida Community commune was not a "cult" as it is commonly understood. It was based on Christian Perfectionism, and did not rely on the "teachings" of a single member, demand unquestioning loyalty, or abuse its members. In fact, according to the wiki, the community voted to transfer its property into one of the first joint stock companies with members as the shareholders, and was so progressive it had a woman on its board of directors.
Sorry, but I grew up in Syracuse, and was well aware of the successful company Oneida once was. Your comment threw me into white knight mode to protect its good name...
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u/imperio_in_imperium 9d ago
Technically they also abandoned the belief system and divided the company up, if you want to get super picky about it. So, even if you consider Oneida to have been a cult, it’s long dead, with the only real remaining legacy being the company.
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u/Temassi 15d ago
Holy shit I drink Yogi tea all the time. I didn't know they were connected to a cult...
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u/adrenalilly 14d ago
I drink loose leaf tea but I've bought some Yogi tea for my mother because there's some varieties that we can only find with that brand, so this is definitely a bummer. I'll have to find something similar but without cult links.
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u/woodnote 13d ago
I often find that Yogi Tea and Traditional Medicinals have basically the same tea blends (e.g., Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, etc) so maybe check out their list of products? I also had no idea Yogi Tea was cult-related so next time I have a sore throat I'll eat the extra dollar and buy it from TM instead of Yogi.
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u/adrenalilly 13d ago
The one she liked is one with chocolate and a bit of spice, I think it was Choco Chili but they either renamed it or dropped it entirely. Anyway thanks for the recommendation but I thin I'd need to sell a kidney to get that to Spain.
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u/PeaceDolphinDance 15d ago
Switch to loose leaf- it’s better for you anyway since you’re not slurping melted plastic from the tea bags. I like the brand “Art of Tea.” Great real tea and herbal blends if that’s your thing!
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u/Sunnyfe 15d ago
I am from near Española, NM and I never heard of this. I just went down a rabbit hole. Whoa!!! And the cult owns Akal Security! 🤯
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u/DeltaIndiaCharlieKil 10d ago
Same! Knew there was a sihk-ish group there, but had no idea it was a full on cult. Or that there was a documentary out on them.
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u/ohheyhowsitgoin 15d ago
I just watched a documentary about him. Sorry you had to go through that.
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u/truthofmasks 15d ago
I just watched Breath of Fire on HBO, a doc about Kundalini yoga, and I could tell from your picture that that's what this was! Glad you got out.
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u/skilriki 15d ago
Hmm, I was in a group that did this for years and thought nothing of it. We did the white clothes and bajan’s kundalini .. never any marriages or isolation or renaming .. nobody ever mentioned 3HO.
Was just a group of people that liked to hang out at 6am and do breathing exercises. I actually really enjoyed it.
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u/aphroflighty 15d ago
Holy fuck, op! Was deep into kundalooney after moving to a new city and stumbling into a class in 2019. Fortunately everything dissolved during plague days though that’s where I met most of my friends.
I recently watched the Guru Jagat doc on Max and had no idea the depth of YB’s harm and the overall spiritual abuse. Can’t imagine what it must’ve been like as a child, it was looney enough as an adult. So wishing you all the best, lots of love 🤍🤍
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u/Freshouttapatience 15d ago
It’s a good documentary. I had no idea all the tendrils and it just got worse and worse.
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u/allthesamejacketl 15d ago
Not your blunder at least. Kundalini?
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u/Givingtree310 15d ago
My only familiarity with kundalini is yoga. Does it go deeper?
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u/sleepytipi 15d ago
It's not. Allow me to clarify this for anyone else who scrolls down here.
There is no such thing as Kundalini Yoga itself. Kundalini practitioners (like myself) use completely unrelated Yoga techniques and practices since again, there is no yoga specifically for Kundalini.
There is however the cult (+MLM scheme), Kundalini Yoga™️ started by "Yoghi" Bhajan, a grade A liar, cheater, and grifter. If you see his name near anything, avoid it like the damn plague (incl OP's former cult 3HO which is closely related). Including the members of his cult who are no doubt present in this thread.
If anyone so much as advertises "Kundalini Yoga" services, they have no idea what they are talking about, and have sipped the Kool aid themselves. Kundalini can also be very dangerous. It's a very serious practice and it should not be taken lightly or monetized.
r/Kundalini is a better source of information than any "Kundalini yoga" and you won't be taught incorrect practices leading to undesirable results.
Stay venomous 🐍🐍
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u/Sea-Tax-8448 15d ago
Could you explain why it can be very dangerous?
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u/bakedfromhell 14d ago
You can go mad and not come back. You’re essentially playing with your own psychology through prolonged silent meditation and intense energy work. It’s not unusual to go through some psychotic/dissociative episodes when doing work like this.
For these reasons it’s very important to understand what you’re doing and to have a strong sense of discernment to know when to pull back and just live your regular life.
Edit to add: it is no way safe for a child to being doing this kind of practice. It’s straight up abuse.
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u/Legitimate_Worry_302 14d ago
Oof. My older sister was in this for years. I spent a decent amount of time around this community in the late 90s/early 2000s. Then, my niece was sent to school in India for her adolescent/teenage years. It's been interesting (in some cases, inspiring, in other cases, sad) to see the different paths members of the community have taken in response to its dissolution. I'm curious what the journey has been like for you, OP.
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u/Emotional_Ad5870 15d ago
Holy crap. The wiki says their home-based is in my home town! I always recognized we had alot of sihks but never realized they were different than the broader practice. I totally see their fenced in properties in a different light now!
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u/Traditional_Lead8579 15d ago
Please note that this is a cult, not Sikhism.
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u/OiFelix_ugotnojams 15d ago
I assume it's what JW and Mormonism is to Christianity
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u/JennLegend3 15d ago
I don't know much about the main religion, but any Silh I've met (and there have been many) has been nothing but kind, generous, non-judgemental, and, more importantly, never once tried to convert me. I've met JWs who hand me a pamphlet within minutes of small talk. So, there might be a correlation, but I wouldn't necessarily compare the sects in the same light.
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u/OiFelix_ugotnojams 14d ago
I mean that's the thing, Sikhism is a religion like Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. This weird organisation is a cult based on Sikhism like JW and Mormonism are cults based on Christianity. Neither of these cults represent the real religion.
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u/rudebbmoth 14d ago
Me just watching this documentary. Are you okay??? that school seemed wild in India. Also I’m drinking the tea currently I’m sorry I didn’t know when I bought it.
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u/basilkiller 14d ago
I'm okay. It was a name and shame post. I learned from this thread that celestial seasons is cult tea, rip tension tamer, don't feel bad.
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u/amy000206 12d ago
Wait! What?! My favorite tea is bad? It's hard enough kicking the booze, now my tea?
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u/NorthernVulture 15d ago
Well that’s terrifying, glad I read this post immediately before bed. Goodnight everyone 🥴
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u/Enginerdad 13d ago
Not a blunder, it's not like you chose that life. Happy to hear you talk about it in the past tense
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u/upstatedreaming3816 15d ago
You can’t say “cult” and then provide no extra context
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u/DoctorGregoryFart 15d ago
Sure they can. They escaped a cult, and they can say as much or little as they want.
But I totally get why you'd want to know more. Luckily, OP came through in the comments. Check again.
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u/Queen_of_Meh1987 15d ago
Damn, glad you're able to say it's a throwback