4. Narcissism and the Delusional Guru
In the beginning, Angelo did not make such claims about himself, but as the years went by he alluded to such assertions more and more, i.e. he used to say “connect to Gods love, and then at some point it became “connect to My love”. He allowed his followers not only to believe he was enlightened but allowed them to blatantly proclaim him as the “finishing master”. I have even heard Angelo make the statement that Paramhansa Yogananda for example, was “nowhere”, and even had his minions dig up dirt on Yogananda and other spiritual teachers to justify his perversions.
The Narcissistic Delusional Guru is distinguished from the Superficial Guru, (who knows that they are not avatars, but may still through genuine ignorance or misconception claim some enlightenment status), and from the Inflational Delusional Guru in that they haven't actually gone beyond the boundaries of their own bloated egos.
Unlike the Totally Fake Guru, the Superficial Guru does have experiences, but these are only superficial. They cannot access any levels of their being beyond the ordinary surface consciousness. (Even if they believe they can), and hence the association of them with the Supreme is misleading. In Angelo’s case I have experienced, in the past, some moments of genuine spiritual elation with him. Although, I believe that any true Divine experience is one being open to receive what is already there, (which by the way, was his original teaching). I do admit that he provided me with an arena in which I was able to receive; however, it was through my connection with my Divine Source not through him. In hind-sight, much of my experiences with Angelo were inflated and undistinguished. When I look at it, (when he wasn’t faking it), he did nothing more impressive than a carnival psychic and frankly I have experienced more energy from a good Cranial Sacral, Rieki practitioner, or acupuncturist.
In the beginning Angelo taught us that our direct experience of God-within is our “Divine birthright” and may be revealed through meditation but no one can give this to us because it is already who we are and God’s grace only, shall determine to what magnitude it shall be revealed. Later, this message became distorted and he then would have us believe that the genuine Divine experiences can only be afforded through “his” grace. This I never subscribed to but it became the party-line. You would often hear people tout “by the master’s grace, blah, blah blah…”. Frankly, it used to turn my stomach.
The following characteristics are suggested as a definition of the Delusional Guru type:
- highly charismatic and persuasive, and hence good at manipulating people.
- have a cultic following (driven by their own narcissism) tend to become slanderous or abusive and engage in much shadow projection when criticized, their followers therefore do the same. The slander and ostracizing that went on when anyone questioned, criticized or left the community was unbelievable. This, more than any other reason was why I finally could no longer tolerate this spoiled and corrupt community! He and the brainwashed souls that still remain, continue to claim that we (which includes over 70% of the community), all left because of some moral disdain for his sexual appetite. WOW! After all the class work we did on sexuality, that argument is ridiculous at best. But just for the record on that subject, in time, I don’t know of anyone in that community that cared about who was sleeping with whom.
On the other hand, however, when a person who has manipulated others into thinking that he is a Deity and that to have sex with him would “liberate” them from their bonds of inhibition so that they may elevate their spiritual status, is just plain perverted and disgraceful. By the way, I noticed that he never wanted to “liberate” the overweight, or less attractive ones, and never the women. Oh, except when the whole thing fell apart and he was being accused. Then suddenly, he didn’t discriminate.
- teachings that pretend to be, or on the surface seem, that they are spiritual, but have nothing to do with true spirituality or going beyond the ego, being rather a mixture of second hand ideas and their own opinions and mental and/or emotional experiences. Much of Angelo’s teachings came from picking and choosing tid-bits of teachings from an eclectic array of spiritual teachers, (most of whom at some point or another he would put down). Angelo read or had people at all hours of the night read to him incessantly. He would underline and select stories, writings and teachings and adapt them as his own. I suspect that this is the primary reason why he did not want people to read; especially Osho which is where he got a lot of his material. Angelo would often criticize enlightening films or books that might have a profound and influencing impression. Competition to a narcissist is frightening and dangerous to their fragile ego.
Through a mixture of charisma and intelligence - or sometimes charisma and people manipulation skills if intelligence is lacking (in his case it was not) - delusional gurus propound a mixture of second-hand wisdom and their own sometimes highly original delusions, which their followers (who are caught up in the same attractor) take to be the highest teachings of this age.
Because of their own ego-projection, their followers - or at least some of them - resort to antagonistic and slanderous behavior whenever their guru is challenged or shown to be false; hence the unpleasant phenomenon of the slanderous devotee (all of us could be given that title at one time or another).
Delusional gurus may get into a power trip and abuse their devotees, or alternatively they may be supportive and loving, but only in a conditional way - i.e. as long as they are believed in. Angelo had favorite’s especially pretty boys, (particularly, it turns out, the ones he was grooming for sex), but also pretty women. On many occasions however, I witnessed harsh emotional and verbal abuse to some of his devotees. And if you were unattractive, (by his standards) or overweight, look out; you were in for a long life of insults, contemptuous mockery and public humiliation.
Many of us gave half of our lives in service and devotion to this guy, but when you chose to leave him for what ever reason you became the spawn of Satan, who has fallen out of grace and are destine to walk endless lives of karmic tribulation. The minions that are left shake their heads in despair towards their wayward, fallen brothers and sisters, christened “the uncommitted” who “missed” once again in this life.
While Delusional gurus are not schizophrenic, being much as lucid and competent as any normal person, they do constitute a sort of tendency towards psychosis and paranoia, because of over-emphasis placed on the limited ego. When you look up paranoid in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if you see his picture. This I believe was the major turning point of a lot of the older disciples. Angelo’s mounting paranoia eventually became so extreme that even his most devoted started to question his “enlightened state”. At one point a few years ago, Angelo’s paranoia was so out of control and obsessive, that one older disciple, who apparently is still with him (go figure), actually suggested that we have an intervention like they do in AA.
Everyone who had the privilege of the “inner circle” witnessed all kinds of behavior that Angelo would never reveal to the masses. Eventually, we all would ask… Why do we have to stoop to deception, lies and in some cases illegal activity to protect what seemed to be harmless devotion to love and God? Where’s God in all of this? …Where is the love?
Here are some interesting definitions of the destructive and false guru:
“Abusive gurus are almost always highly charismatic, emotionally immature and parasitic sociopaths suffering from Narcissistic personality disorder, and have a co-dependency with their disciples and devotees. They justify their abusive treatment by using terms of pseudo-spiritual psychobabble like "breaking down the ego".” Some characteristics of the False Guru:
- Sexually abusive behavior
- Acting or teaching one way in public and another in private (e.g. celibate gurus justifying sex with disciples)
- Narcissistic behavior
- Using insulting words or other abusive behavior to "break down your ego". (sounds familiar to overweight, unattractive, Jews and nincompoops?)
- Taking advantage of the disciples trust; controlling or forcing them to do something they don't want to.
- Vindictive attitude towards ex-devotees
- Responding to critics with anger, bitterness, hatred, or mockery rather than love (or never let the critics get near you)
- Demands unconditional obedience to themselves or to their representatives or assistants. (follow the masters guidance he knows what’s best for you! Oh and I have the “knowing”!)
- Require you to cut yourself off from your family or social relationships. (but be sure and placate the ones that could be of some advantage or lie, manipulate or manage them so they don’t get suspicious)
- Discourage you from seeing the people you want. (anyone out side the BF who has no potential for recruitment is “nowhere”, a distraction or downright dangerous)
- Depreciate other ways. (“all other religions and philosophies have “missed”, they are a trip or just plane “nowhere””)
- Acknowledge their own teaching alone as valid. (“follow the master’s teachings even if they contradict themselves, we can never understand the ways of the master “it’s a mystery school””)
- Teach you to neglect your family, professional, or social life (the outside world is a foolish distraction, full of sleepy, idiots that are “nowhere”)
- Limiting sleep, (especially if you were his direct entourage)
- Restrict your diet (much more in the old days)
- Judge and condemn. (“the outside world is a foolish distraction, full of sleepy, idiots that are “nowhere”, and so are all of those misguided fools who left, they’re just in their mind”)
- Employ threats or fear. (“If you criticize or leave you will create terrible karma, “I told so and so that this would happen to them and it did”…”)
- Adopt stereotyped attitudes, ways of talking, sitting, dressing, and moving. (the “Beautiful People”, the Dancers, the Save the Earth People, the Movie Club, Night Walkers or how bout just plain zombies in Speedos with beach chairs)
- Take themselves to be prophets or messiahs.
- Often change teachings. (1985 Connect to God’s love, 1995 connect to My love)
- Only practice within their organization and not outside of it. (conscious company AKA the BF vs. the “outside” unconscious world)
