Kinja reply list

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TheBurnersMyDestinationAnna Merlan
5/10/16 10:55am
How difficult do you think it is to start your own cult? I mean, we get hung up on the People’ s Temples and Heaven’s Gates, but there have got to be tons of smaller, lower key ones out there that are making bank, right? Like, Montana has the Church Universal and Triumphant, or The Source Family in Cali in the 60s/70s. It seems like if you can buy some land in the middle of no where you could probably get away with it for a long time. And they never seem to be short of suckers that will sign over their paychecks or go live in the wilderness or whatever weirdness their leader comes up with. Seems like a good gig if you can get it.

(Note: Obviously I do not condone having your own cult)
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  Mental IcebergTheBurnersMyDestination
  5/10/16 11:07am
  It actually seems pretty easy to do, if you have “that” in you. Whatever “that” is. Narcissism, con man, messiah complex, gift of speech, etc.
  
  Note: also not condoning having one’s own cult ;)
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  TheBurnersMyDestinationMental Iceberg
  5/10/16 11:12am
  Honestly, I think all it takes is probably a very shrewd understanding of people’s natures. If you can sell people that they are sick (because tons of people think there is something wrong with them to begin with), or that society is sick, and that you have the cure, you can reel people in pretty easily. Look at Jim Jones: he was so easily able to take advantage of the prejudice that existed at the time, and by creating a place where people of different races felt they were accepted and loved, he was able to talk them into moving to the middle of the goddamned jungle in a country they had probably never even heard of.
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igotwordsAnna Merlan
5/10/16 11:53am
Three quick keys to figuring out if you’re in a dangerous cult.

1. They demand you give money, possessions, etc without asking questions.

2. There is a physical person at the top who makes the decisions either with manufactured consent, or direct control.

3. Ask yourself, is this group/thing/club promising me everything without explaining how it logically works.

If the answer is yes to these questions, then casually see yourself to the door.

I once nearly joined a similar thing in Florida, everyone seemed so nice, and the place seemed just like a social club, but as soon as this woman got up front and told us we were all had special beams of energy that were capable of bringing light and positive energy to the world if we just sacrificed what we had (ie money and stuff)...I got my black ass out of their so fast it made my head spin.
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  EvanrudeJohnsonigotwords
  5/10/16 12:01pm
  1. They demand you give money, possessions, etc without asking questions.
  2. There is a physical person at the top who makes the decisions either with manufactured consent, or direct control.
  
  3. Ask yourself, is this group/thing/club promising me everything without explaining how it logically works.
  I once nearly joined a similar thing in Florida,
  
  Yeah, I almost fell for a timeshare pitch as well.
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  igotwordsEvanrudeJohnson
  5/10/16 12:04pm
  Free tv right? For me it was the free tv.
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DoeEyed&VictoriousAnna Merlan
5/10/16 2:20pm
I am a current member of Superstar Machine and Hot School and damn proud of it! Both of these collectives have helped me invaluably and continue to change my life in the most amazing ways and the results are tangible! I could write a book and probably will at some point;) The women that are saying SSM is a cult are f-ing crazy and reading this article is nauseating because there is so much false information in it. First of all, Katie Arnold is totally psychotic and disturbed. I knew her the whole time she was in SSM and what she said above about being in SSM while she was getting a divorce and not being acknowledged or whatever is crazy because my experience was that she was hiding the fact that she even got married. I spoke with her often and she didn’t tell me she was married! It was so weird - I saw something about it on Facebook or something and I was like, “this is super weird, she’s married!?” And it looked like she married the guy so he could get citizenship in the country or something and he probably was paying her for it. That was my sense and she was hiding it all so how could I give her support about it? Cuckoo! It feels like she wants to be perceived as a total victim and like she wants people to feel sorry for her. I do feel sorry for her in a way because I saw firsthand how much she changed while in Superstar Machine and I got to hear about the magic in her life and it was inspiring - as is all the magic happening for women in Superstar Machine. It’s fucking incredible. Katie was so socially awkward when she started and International helped her access her quirkiness in a powerful way and I watched her change into a super interesting creative person because the truth of who she is was being supported. It was wild, like a work of art. We’re talking going from weird social outcast to quirky and interesting and adorable. And it was 100% International who helped her access that - I saw it firsthand. But you can see from the choices she made (i.e. hiding her weird get-paid-for-getting-a-man-citizenship crap) that she was making shady choices on the side and being sneaky about it. Hey, we all have the right to do whatever we want - but to do all that and then say in this article I was going through a divorce and totally wasn’t supported or whatever she said shows her incredibility. Now it looks like Katie Arnold’s life is devoted to trying to tear down something that helped her so much. It feels like she’s obsessed with ripping SSM apart which is sad. Superstar Machine is not a cult. If women want to leave SSM then they can and they do and it’s supported. Unless a woman leaves all crazy-style and dramatically then it’s kinda like buh-bye good riddance, if you ask me! Some women leave that way and I feel like they’d have to be investing in some crazy crap in order to cut something off that has be bringing so much success into their lives and then speak so intensely poorly about it. Everything I’ve read in the above is skewed by the bitterness of the women who have left SSM in weird ways and it feels like they’ve spun a ton of twisted stories in their minds to justify the decision. The fact that they are all so bitter and tormented shows you how powerful SSM is in changing your life. Because they’re leaving in such loud, dramatic ways and so much of the crap they’re talking is total bologna. Inaccurate and skewed. International is such a cool, hilarious man and a genius AND is actually the most humble person I have ever met. He has helped me so much: with the amazing relationship I am in, with all the success I am having at my job, with becoming who I really am. And he supports people to be authentic which is why I continue to stay in SSM and love it. I always hated groups because I felt like I had to act like everyone in the group and that made me want to vom. In SSM I am supported to be original and so much of what International says I agree with 100% and resonates for me a ton. He actually lays down the truth in this crazy world we are living in. I mean look at what is happening in our country! Politics, health care etc. The world is a challenging state and things could be so much better. I am so grateful to get to participate in SSM because it helps me stay sane amidst the craziness and the drama out there and makes me feel excited to live my life, challenges and all. AND I could write another book about how amazing Hot School is! International really does help us women not act out all crazy on men and focus on giving good experiences to men. Which gives us women an amazing experience in return. International taught me that men like to help women and how to receive the help instead of get all awkward and shut it down how I use to. And International taught me how to tell a man how much I appreciate the help he offers me. It’s amazing how much my experience has changed from learning how to do this. If you under-the-surface have a problem with men (which many women do) then it makes sense why you’d lash out and spew venom about Hot School, because these women are unwilling to think about what would make a guy feel really great, and just try it out, and have an experience of telling a guy how awesome he is when he helps them. It’s as simple of that but some women get so triggered by the idea of saying something like that to a man which is pretty intense. So they bash Hot School and try to blame Hot School or SSM for their horrible relationships. I am in the most incredible relationship ever and you should interview my fiance if you want to hear more of the truth of how amazing our relationship is. It feels like these sad, not-hot women are spiraling out in a bunch of crap and drama. I know pretty much all of them from their time in SSM. I can guess who they are through their fake names and I could share the truth of what happened that they aren’t saying here. I think if any of these women tried to talk to you out on the street nowadays you’d shoo them away. So that’s something to consider when you ponder the credibility of this article and where all this noise is coming from. There is a whole other side to SSM that isn’t being shown here, and that side is magical, awesome and amazing.
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  NargwaDoeEyed&Victorious
  5/10/16 5:17pm
  I’ve read your entire comment, and the only thing I got out of it is that Superstar Machine is even more sexist than the article depicted. Thanks for the insight!
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  GenevieveDoeEyed&Victorious
  5/10/16 5:29pm
  I want to know why all the women in this group who have written here all sound like valley girls.
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princesssuperstarAnna Merlan
5/10/16 4:21pm
This article is totally biased, one-sided, and doesn’t reflect all the people (including myself) that International has helped. Irresponsible journalism and lame reporting Anna! He is a visionary and has helped me be super successful in my life and in my marriage, and as a mom. The cult thing is ridiculous- last I checked cults don’t let you have outside relationships- well I can have relationships with anyone I want to (and I do); I have an amazing evolving career thanks to him; and over the years has helped me for free when I couldn’t pay. Also usually cult leaders are inappropriate with their members, well I’ve been studying with him for 8 years and never ONCE saw him be inappropriate with a woman, he is honorable and humble and a real genius. All visionaries have been maligned and slandered in history and so I’m not really surprised this is happening, but at least write a balanced article!
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  Anna Merlanprincesssuperstar
  5/10/16 5:04pm
  Hi Princess Superstar! I’m sorry you chose not to respond to my email requesting comment but happy to see you here!
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  Genevieveprincesssuperstar
  5/10/16 5:18pm
  I wouldn’t go so far as saying you have an amazing evolving career. I looked at your website....um, evolving is the last word I would use.
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IkerCatsillasAnna Merlan
5/10/16 12:09pm
If anyone’s curious, the website for “The Process” is saved on the Wayback Machine here. My favorite part is International Scherick’s logo:

Because nothing says spiritual enlightenment more than a dollar sign!
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  IkerCatsillasIkerCatsillas
  5/10/16 12:18pm
  Oh god, and Shana Kuhn-Siegel’s blog posts about The Process are something else, too. Her description of how Scherick helped her overcome her self-image issues is so manipulative it sets my teeth on edge:
  
  She cornered me and launched into all the problems she was having with her husband, spewing all kinds of drama. Listening to her, it suddenly hit me. This was the real fat. Just like International had said. Before my eyes, I saw how she felt about herself become her physical form. It was as if she weighed 500 pounds. There was her obese belief system right in front of my face. It was vile. I was yanked back to sanity. What was I thinking? International had made me a lean, mean believing machine and somewhere I went off track. The weight I was hiding from had nothing to do with my body. I was fat in my thinking, gorging on cultural lies that had been fed to me growing up.
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  Fareed ZakariaIkerCatsillas
  5/10/16 12:46pm
  “a new-paradigm based business that specializes in offering transformative experiences to individuals and businesses by building new-world solutions to traditional problems.”
  
  paging Henry Elkus:
  
  http://gawker.com/i-have-no-idea...
  
  cc @profjeffjarviss
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Tequila MockingbirdAnna Merlan
5/10/16 11:40am

So much funny in four paragraphs. “whose palette contains thousands of years of mystic tradition...” Written like a true mystic. A 13-year-old mystic with a spiral notebook and a sparkle gel pen.

“The best of Jesus, Buddha, and George Carlin” I’m like Jesus, but I only use his best material. None of that second-rate blasting the fig tree shit.

“New-fangled” Ok grampy.

And of course, even if you are the perfect hybrid of Jesus, Buddha, and George Carlin and you communicate directly with the Divine, you STILL have to mention you went to fucking Harvard.
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  rslwnTequila Mockingbird
  5/10/16 12:01pm
  The Harvard bit is hilarious. Do you know how many mediocre white men from money have “gone to” Harvard? What the fuck kind of distinction is that?
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  recidiviciousTequila Mockingbird
  5/10/16 12:09pm
  I haven’t seen that much bullshit crammed into four paragraphs since the last time I wrote a one-page college class essay in the free hour I had before it was due.
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fortheloveofbeetsAnna Merlan
5/10/16 1:43pm
Wow, are we just deleting critical comments now?
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  lyingliarwholiesfortheloveofbeets
  5/10/16 2:13pm
  Fuck. Not that I am surprised you’re being deleted, mind you, but I just finished reading and was scrolling through trying to find some critical comments.
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  fortheloveofbeetslyingliarwholies
  5/10/16 2:35pm
  I just pointed out that the gears in the header image wouldn’t turn in that arrangement, which makes for an awkward mixed metaphor. Either the woman is going to be crushed, or the gears don’t turn. You can’t have both. Shifting one of the gears over just slightly would solve the problem completely. Like so:
  
  There we have a coherent visual metaphor.
  
  But I guess this all counts as inappropriate discussion.
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Gillian HolroydAnna Merlan
5/10/16 11:19am
I’m surprised to hear him described as an “unlikely looking” guru, because he looks exactly like I’d picture a smug, middle-age self-defined guru who tries to control younger women.

I’m just amazed that so many women fall for this shit. Most of the cults I’ve known about take members out of their daily environment and isolate them; here the women still go to work, see family and friends, etc. I get that it takes up a lot of their time but it seems that eventually they’d think “This guy is just a creepy shitlord pocketing my money” and get out. It seems so controlling and unpleasant.
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  SoveryoldstillGillian Holroyd
  5/10/16 12:05pm
  A good friend of mine fell in with a small time spiritual /business guru who collected women to worship him. She cut anyone who didn’t believe his spiel out of her life. There is no end of people who want and need to follow Someone . Saves on thinking my Dad used to say...
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  jordanbakerGillian Holroyd
  5/10/16 12:33pm
  Right? He’s a white dude with crazy eyes. If I saw him on the street, I’d think “cult.”
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Anna MerlanAnna Merlan
5/12/16 3:11pm
I got an email from Anika Reitman, another former SSM member who disputes some of the claims made by the women I spoke to for this piece. She’s given me permission to print her email — I have edited it lightly but here it is more or less in full.

I was a member of SSM for 2 years, was brought in by one of the celebrities frequently mentioned in your article and I had the exact opposite experience of everything you’re sources have described in the article. As I’m no longer a part of the machine and still have friends I talk to from there, I thought maybe you’d like to talk for a different take? A part 2, perhaps? I have no vested interest in defending SSM, refuting the other women’s experiences who are now speaking out against a group that is completely volunteer based, a group individuals can opt out of, my only interest here is to give a major media outlet such as Jezebel another POV about SSM. I can understand why Shana or International didn’t continue to reach out to you to clarify details but I’m a completely open book and have no reason to hold back. My only ideal is to give you the truth, my truth and what I experienced.

I’ll be quick in this preview: the women, International and the machine helped me through a point in time in my life that was immensely difficult so I too was at a vulnerable point. I am like the women in your article and I think the difference between myself and them is that I do not blame any institution, organization, religion or club for my personal choices. If I don’t like what’s happening, I basically GTFO because it’s time, money and why be in something you don’t enjoy? Also, much of what’s worth experiencing in life doesn’t always come with fun, ease and joy but even then, when you’re paying for a service such as SSM, you should feel you’re getting your money’s worth. I got mine and more. That these women in your article were so desperate for something that would give them relief in their lives, I wonder, what if Scientology came around instead of SSM? Would they be contributing to such an exposè then? Would it really matter what institution let them down? Because it seems it’s not so much about the down and dirty wrongdoing of International, it seems more so that these women regret their personal choice of staying in a group that is rigorous, upholds beliefs and functions like any group does and now these women want... Attention? Retribution? Perhaps they feel they’ve been made a fool of? In my opinion, these women identified as victims going into SSM and identify still as victims. How else could they contribute to this article in such a way as to imply an almost Helter Skelter setting, carrots in butts and all? Sorry but it’s too funny it’s so fake. It was truly wild reading your article as I have not experienced any of this not in the beginning nor at the end. Your article was so opposite of my experience I wonder if there is another SSM out there and the two are just getting jumbled with one another.

I never felt preyed upon. I was asked to participate in a group that was especially designed for a particular kind of support. After investigating for myself what kind of group this was, I waited for a year to join, with no pressure from the girl who introduced me to the machine (this is the same girl Ashley told you about). I actually thought SSM was bullshit and comical when I attended an event, I audibly scoffed and left with no one holding me back. Then a year later I had a traumatic experience, the event was in town a month later, I went and I was moved and I thought I should try it for a while, which I did. One of the best choices I’ve made in my life was attending that event and joining SSM.

Of course, as with any club, group or institutions, there were aspects that weren’t for me and I was forthright about which aspects those were with Shana, with other celebs, I had no motive to hide my feelings as I was a paying member of a group and why do something I wasn’t comfortable with? If they ever made me feel punished, like I said before, I would’ve GTFO cause I’m an adult and should be treated like one. I was always treated with respect, I never had to assess whether I was being treated like an adult, everyone in the group was awesome. I always had someone to talk to, it was always reasonable, every conversation I left feeling good, if not amazing, about. Never once was I made to feel guilty, ashamed, punished but I never gave this group importance over my own reasoning — for me SSM was a reference point that helps young woman navigate life’s challenges. It’s meant to be a reference, I think and those who are looking for more should probably look within themselves. This is easier said than done but here again I found the message within SSM was to listen to yourself, International was there to help you in doing that, to tap into the divine if you will. I never felt it was a “be all end all surrender to master International now you crazy biyatch!” That’s crazy!!! And that is not what is being taught. Crazy bitch was always said light heartedly, jokingly and I don’t know about you but every woman I know has the capacity to be a crazy bitch just like men can be douche bags or assholes! The PC culture of not calling women bitches or trying to be fair to everyone doesn’t exist in the framework of a group - it’s private, we can laugh, if someone doesn’t like it they can talk with Shana or their celeb. It’s so to the point that why these women stayed in the group confuses me because if you butt heads with the ideals then either stay and deal or go where you’ll be happy. This is what’s best all around. Also, International called men dumb all the time, every time he’d say crazy bitch I’m pretty sure he’d call a dude a douche bag idiot. It was funny and on that note - the jargon and lexicon used by super hotties on Hot School call was funny, flirty and meant to make the calls bubbly as some of the topics being brought up were very serious. The women you spoke with who comment on the strange perkiness of these calls are frankly a bit thick if they can’t comprehend the device of humor, lightness, flirtation even — the tone of the calls was to give advice, insight and hear others stories while also feeling a bit of lightness as to not have a completely drab and dreary hour of a conference call. I always thought it was cute and I felt if anything it was to promote the mentality of how you can talk about heavy subjects and still laugh, you can ease the pain with good humor, you can be troubled and sad without having to stay down there, now I think that’s harmless but other people are entitled to believe otherwise. One time I brought up on a call to International about a huge, deep and complex issue my father and I were experiencing and the advice International gave me made my dad hear me, how I felt which then allowed me to hear his side. International was almost like a dude translator — he could translate what was actually being said, give it to you and then give advice as to how to handle it from there. It was always left up to you how to go about it. This was often times what happened after speaking to International - I always felt he used his intelligence and ability to read people for good and give us advice that would serve us, particularly. Also, this is America so yeah, the guy was getting paid to do what he did! That was always clear and anyone who didn’t like it could leave. I don’t mean to be insensitive as much as I mean to state the facts that were always clearly stated to us as SSM members. To feign dismay at the waste of money on SSM is not the fault of the group, it’s the individual. SSM is a legitimate group and sometimes I’d even be short, not have enough in my account and text Shana to wait a week or two to bill me. There was never a problem in waiting to Bill.

I felt accountable for my actions within the group and this felt good because being held responsible and accountable for being good to yourself within and outside of the machine was healthy. I am a strong person though and I know myself, I knew upon joining SSM I was opening myself up to a new experience and if I didn’t like it I’d quit. It’s simple, really.

To find a group that wants you to do well is rare and despite what you’ve been led to believe about quid pro quo, how women we’re allowed and not allowed to succeed, if ever I came up against a problem, needed someone to help me reason, I had the machine and someone was always available for support. I even went on a mini vacation with a fellow superstar that was partly for work! I never asked or had work for my superstars but one time something came up and I contacted the girl directly, no harm! I didn’t go through Shana cause I didn’t think I had to, the girls in your article make it sound so strict when actually I never experienced that! Those girls made their experience what it was as I did mine. If there was an issue within the machine, outside the machine, we’d talk about it like adults, Shana and I or my celebrity. I loved and love my celebrity, she has always been available, kind, encouraging, honest and reflective with me. I did not depend on the machine to solve all my problems, I didn’t start going for that reason, at all. I am someone who understands that there will never be a group, religion, man, substance, equation to solve all of my problems, only I can do that. The women you spoke with remind me of the women in SSM who were emotionally unstable to begin with and who were looking for a heroic figure to rescue them which of course means this figure can be turned on in a second. Should International have turned them away? I don’t think that’s his responsibility given the nature of the group - he’s not a therapist we each sit down with, one on one, we’re addressed more or less as a group. Also, I told my therapist about SSM because I have nothing to hide unlike some of the women you spoke with. To no surprise my doctor didn’t think it was the best group for me to be in but she didn’t tell me to get out either. here again, my therapist is also my reference point, I do what I want at the end of the day, so far in and I make my decisions. I do not blame others for my choices and try to surround myself with those who I trust. I trusted SSM and still do.

To be a desperate fanatic of anything, whether it’s the bible, of a lifestyle like crossfit or veganism, will always result in an extremist way of being which, to be frank, is what all the women you talked to sound like - extremists! They were EXTREME Superstars and sound like they were let down by what they did not get. They’re pissed, one of them is apparently becoming famous so wants to remain anonymous which makes 0 sense and some are now leveling back punishment to their “leader”. If the woman who is starting to get attention in the media decided to remain anonymous because she was so embarrassed by her association with SSM, shouldn’t her contribution be the exact opposite; if she’s really trying to take out the evil International, Wouldn’t she be an example to other “vulnerable artistic young girls” out there, showing it can happen to anyone, it happened to her? If the cause is to bring light to wrongdoing, why stay anonymous? There is so little online about SSM that what could embarrass her I have no idea but it seems strange for someone to contribute and not want to be identified, it implies cowardice in the face of standing for what’s right. If it’s right, why hide? Even Ed Snowden came forward and that dude is still living in Russia yet this burgeoning celeb chick can’t come forward about a group she was in? Sorry, I don’t buy it. Or is it that she doesn’t want to credit her success to the machine? That would be funnier and a bit more true, it would seem.

All of the women in your article felt victimized and from that POV gave you a narrative that has painted a ridiculous cultish scenario, as if we were sister wives of International, living in captivity. I value deeply the time I spent within SSM because it’s not often one can find a group of women who support one another, build each other up and who can talk about everything in a forum/ space. And I’m not talking a group of 5-10 women, I’m talking 20, 30 women. That’s powerful and unlike Landmark, Tony Robinson, any major religion, we didn’t have to be there for a cause outside of ourselves, we were there for ourselves, to connect to others who provided a level of support. Yes, we all wanted success in work, love, family life but without inner awareness, this success might not come in the way we hope and work for. The machine felt special, valuable and it re-taught me the importance of connecting with peers who were women whereas before I was primarily friends with guys since I’d been bullied and continue to be bullied by women. And (of course) my mother was depressed most of my life so that Feminine connection within SSM blasted open a new headspace for me that I’d never received not by choice but because I didn’t get that connection with my first experience of the Feminine, my mother. I received a lot from SSM without having to become a die hard SSM fanatic. I think to imply it’s someone else’s fault for you becoming a fanatic is balderdash and foolish. And to tarnish the name of a group that has helped many other women because you went fanatic is cheap and selfish. I would never shame those women for what they did but it doesn’t sound like they came out with the truth to warn other women. It sounds like they’re spinning their narrative for pity, attention and retribution in the form of online vengeance.

If a foreigner walked into any large group gathering where there’s one person leading and it’s for spiritual growth, this foreigner not speaking the language, understanding the culture and just having walked in, the foreigner would certainly find it odd. All actions, circumstances and logistics described in your article sound like they’re coming from foreigners who don’t understand the practice. These women you spoke with remind me of the government during the McCarthy era against suspected communists — it’s as if because the machine didn’t work for them, they’re labeling it a cult, sex driven, with a money mongering scumbag as the leader and while I don’t know the extent to which their words or accounts are true, I’m also not the one going to a major media outlet and spouting all of these claims against a perfectly legitimate, legal group. The group is so small I cannot imagine why these women would speak out against it or for that matter why they wouldn’t seek out or start something better if they’re so worried about other women being caught in the superstar trickster mobile. To imply that young women can’t tell when they’re being victimized is insulting and furthermore to suggest that women within the group are zombie followers and reject anyone who’s fallen out of rank, is flat out untrue. All the friends I acquired during SSM I’m still friends with, including the celebrity that got me to join. Boom.

My experience is living proof that what the women in your article experienced was, in part, what they decided to experience. They decided to believe International was be all end all, I never thought this, I always thought of International and SSM as an amazing group. A woman in your article cried on the street when she saw another successful woman still in the machine, pregnant and while I can certainly sympathize for the all the women in your article, I also feel like they expected to be handed their dream lives from SSM and if that’s not foolish to believe to begin with, I don’t know what is. Why that ex-SSM member cried at the success of a woman still in SSM just implies the ex member is unstable unless that crying was out of joy. I’m guessing it was not. I’d go even further to say the actions of the ex-member is more troubling than that of SSM’s, which is basically a group of women getting together to talk about the struggles of life with a dude named International who more or less leads the conversation. And gives good advice. And yes, let’s them cry in the presence of a man who is non-threatening and who is open, available to them, there for them. To me, the ex-member, now on her 2nd exposè, nonetheless, is the one I question and I’m not even one of the members of the cult machine so that kind of busts a bubble in her little theory there...

I went on a bit too long but I think it’s rare that a group like SSM exists and I loved my experience. I feel territorial as it was an experience I’m grateful for to this day as it continues to help me. I know the dirt gets all the attention in media but perhaps rolling in the truth with the juicy dirt gossip might be of interest to you.
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  Icecold DavisAnna Merlan
  5/12/16 3:21pm
  So you hated it until you became emotionally vulnerable prey due to a traumatic personal experience? Still sounds kind of culty to me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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  exposeAnna Merlan
  5/12/16 4:15pm
  So Anika was never in as deep as she is making it appear and did not go into the backroom sessions she is saying are untrue...because, maybe, she was smarter (at that point.)
  
  This may have been her experience, but to discredit other women’s experiences, who were there longer and saw a hell of a lot more, makes her no better than the current members commenting.
  
  I love how all of the current members of SSM and Hot School are SCREAMING for a fair and balanced story and, yet, all you can do it attack. For them and Anika, if (as you say) this experience was so amazing, why not explain exactly what it did in your life? Not one person has made a coherent statement to say exactly what it is that has fulfilled them. Just a whole lot of babble about HOTNESS and UN-HOTNESS.
  
  Because, that’s the lingo. If these were the thoughts of individuals, why do all the responses sound exactly the same?
  
  And, as I stated before, why be on the attack?
  
  Don’t worry, I’ll wait...
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KatMarloweAnna Merlan
5/10/16 11:08am
If someone was going to found a cult based on Divine, it would sure be better than this.

GIF

The Divine speaks through me. No one connects with the Divine like I do.

GIF

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  deerlady83KatMarlowe
  5/10/16 11:44am
  Hey, I got the Divine on speakerphone. She speaks to whoever she wants.
  
  GIF
  
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  little fluffy cloudsKatMarlowe
  5/14/16 11:26pm
  funny ... but sorry to break it to you, superstar machine isn’t a cult.
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