My thoughts also from what I have seen over the past 10 years.

From the Yogi Tree on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheYogiTreeCenterForGrowth

OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING QANON IN OUR COMMUNITY
Sat Nam and Namaste,

In light of recent events, I feel the need to make a statement about what this community stands for, what we stand up to, and our overarching belief system. In 2020, QAnon deeply infiltrated the spiritual community. The Yogi Tree and The INlighten Community do not support QAnon’s messages of hate, fear, and division.

QAnon is a complicated merger of conspiracy theory, live action role play (LARP) gaming, hate-group ideology, and targeted disinformation strategy. Most followers are largely unaware of these influences and stumble upon QAnon accidentally. They may not realize that QAnon is an extremist movement that spreads misinformation, confusion, and paranoia rooted in white nationalism, antisemitism, and anti-government sentiment. When the global pandemic hit, QAnon actors deliberately and strategically targeted the wellness communities by appealing to people’s interest in alternative health practices and mistrust of established institutions. Credible arguments can be made that QAnon is a cult with classic indoctrination techniques. The deadly violence that was perpetrated at the US Capitol on Jan. 6., 2021, included followers of the QAnon movement.

Read More…
In recent months, our concerns have grown stronger about the QAnon phenomenon in our community and we have had many conversations about its influence. As with all things, we believe that education and open discussion are key. The Yogi Tree and The INlighten Community strongly encourage engaging in tough conversations and holding space for learning and growing – but we do not support QAnon rhetoric in any way.
How has QAnon gained such traction? Two of the issues QAnon distorts – child abuse and human trafficking – are legitimate concerns, and many in the wellness community feel passionate about stopping them. You can tell the information you are getting is QAnon related if it includes pleas “to protect the children” mixed with QAnon anti-trafficking hashtags such as #savethechildren, #endsextrafficking, #eyeswideopen, #thegreatawakening, #dotheresearch, #followthewhiterabbit. (Be aware that these are only a few examples and there are many, ever-morphing buzzwords, codes, and hashtags associated with QAnon.) To effectively combat these horrible crimes, we ask that you avoid QAnon propaganda and instead work with reputable groups that have experience and need support like Children of the Night https://www.childrenofthenight.org/and Apne Aap https://apneaap.org/.

More generally, spiritual seekers are attracted to the idea of hidden and secret knowledge, and the existence of a grand cosmic plan. I firmly believe that this is a byproduct of the Guru culture and needs to be addressed through long-term reform and evolution of our spiritual understanding. We need to learn to balance intuition with critical thinking. Even the yogic scriptures talk about how important it is to discern information. In meditative experiences we can get caught up in images and thoughts that come to us. It is important to take those images and thoughts to pen and paper, then to contemplation, then to the logical mind for processing so we can have grounded vision. Without this process, we can become susceptible to the shadow side of magical thinking that amplifies fear, illusion, and panic.

QAnon also penetrated wellness spaces through anti-vaccination groups and has used the Coronavirus pandemic to spread misinformation and unproven theories presented as scientific fact. Therefore, we must specifically mention fears about vaccine safety and vaccine hesitancy, which are often distinctive from one another along cultural, socioeconomic, and racial lines.

It is healthy and natural to have questions about any medical treatment or procedure, regardless of its origin. If you are concerned about vaccine safety, examine the topic from many points of view to determine what is the right path for you. There are many reasons an individual cannot be vaccinated and those questions can be explored with medical and health practitioners who are grounded in peer-reviewed, scientific research relevant to the area of expertise in question. Vaccine hesitancy is a term most often used to describe the concern and skepticism among BIPOC communities and individuals over medical research and treatments. These communities have trauma from centuries-old exploitation of their bodies as the result of non-consensual government experiments. These also happen to be the communities most devastated by Covid-19.

Taking this context into consideration, it becomes clear that these questions and answers are complex and personal. Generalized promotion or demonization of vaccines or related issues by yoga teachers or wellness practitioners – regardless of personal education, background, or experience – is inappropriate and potentially harmful. We trust in the good faith of people in our community – yet we are painfully aware of the insidious and pervasive reach of QAnon and do not want anyone deliberately or unwittingly sharing these beliefs. Please notify me if you have concerns about any person or experience associated with the community.

We have much healing work to do together on many levels. Our community stands proudly behind discovering truth, children’s rights, women’s rights, and human rights. We believe that taking care of your body, mind and spirit is the most powerful preventative medicine on the planet. We believe that we are all one and that the awakening of our spiritual consciousness is essential for the evolution – and even the preservation – of humanity.

We also firmly oppose using these beliefs to commit any form of gaslighting, exclusion, or “othering.” We stand against spiritual bypass and the Guru culture. We reject the ableism that falsely sells dedication to yoga and wellness practices as perfect cure-alls for every physical, emotional, or mental condition. We endeavor to meet people where they are, not impose upon them where we believe they can or should be. We welcome people from all walks of life to come to a safe place to be heard, seen, and witnessed.

We are a collective that supports each person’s right to make informed decisions about their own bodies, medical care, and health care choices. We stand for social justice, personal and structural accountability, and working to become allies for BIPOC. We believe that education is the key to becoming a cohesive society that bridges gaps in culture, religion, race, socioeconomic backgrounds, and matters of sustainability on the planet. We believe it is imperative that we take the time to source credible information and sound ways of questioning all that we are exposed to in the news and on social media.

I care deeply about the yoga and wellness community and I am concerned about the individual and collective path forward. The Aquarian Age presents us with confusing and challenging times. A spiritual community or individual seeker’s deep desire to understand the complexity of life can make it vulnerable to nefarious influences. I don’t want to see anyone exploited or manipulated by guru culture or an organization that has its roots in white supremacy. Sharing sensational and exploitive posts that promote fear and suspicion only result in separation and elitism. Fear does not lead to freedom. Fear leads to isolation. We learn and grow most effectively in loving, supportive environments. The goal in yoga is to “yoke” or unite. So let’s unite in our commitment to promote a way of thinking and living that is clear-eyed and conscious, not seduced and mystified.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Lakhmi Chand Kelly

RESOURCES

If you would like to know more about this alarming marriage between alt-right conspiracists and the wellness world you can check out the podcast Conspirituality (available on Spotify, Apple, and other platforms).

You can learn more about peer-reviewed science here. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4975196/

If you are struggling with a friend or family member who you think may be under the influence of QAnon, you are not alone. https://www.huffpost.com/.../children-of-qanon-believers...

For more understanding of QAnon’s cult practices, check out Jim Stewartson on Twitter and his https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-thinkin-project or Steven Hassan’s Freedom of Mind project at https://freedomofmind.com/

Used to write similar articles/stories for my Philosophy courses. You can say it's an experience, maybe a form of fiction, or good 'ol Schizophrenia. I just found it an interesting read. A good start for a screenplay. Sort of like "Source Code" if you haven't seen it.

www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/self/7-true-stories-from-reddit-that-hint-at-the-existence-of-alternate-realities-261975.html

I went and saw Fight Club at a special Tuesday screening in town last night. I remember seeing it as a special advance screening in Burbank before the film came out, exactly 20 years ago. I was blown away and hadn't read the book. It hit me square in the mind's eye because I felt it was speaking to me and others like me. Chasing that career, making money you thought would never end, and slowing seeing it all disappear and many hitting the proverbial "rock bottom". Some, like myself were reborn into a new way of thinking, others stayed the course and became the biggest narcissists ever, or the flip side, fall into a depression they never escaped from. Split personalities sound like they only happen in the movies, but in my line of work, it happens often, and sadly, isn't resolved. And, I see this on a greater scale with our young people today. A war is on the horizon, a war for our souls.

Tyler said it best:

“I see in the fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars, advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of the history man, no purpose or place, we have no Great war, no Great depression, our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives, we've been all raised by television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won't and we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very very pissed off.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

"Contemporary nostalgia is not so much about the past as about vanishing the present."
- scholar Svetlana Boym

The word nostalgia parses to nostos, Greek for "homecoming," and algos, Greek for "pain." Nostalgia literally means the pain of imagined homecomings, and homecomings are meant to include most potently the fond memories of familiar and pleasing scenarios.

"Although nostalgia once was thought to be primarily a negative emotion, more modern interpretations in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and even neuroimaging suggest that the pangs of nostalgia play an important and potentially positive role in our emotional homeostasis."
Speer, et al. (2014)

It is graduation time for many students, young people and friends. I don't have kids of my own but live vicariously through the families and friends I know as I attend these milestone events. It makes me proud and eager to see what will become of these new "time travelers." Their dreams becoming reality (or not), their loss and gain of family and friends on their new timelines, their gradual fulfillment of wisdom as time moves forward. I wish them well on this journey that they embark on.

Congratulations to all of you and I hope one day that you feel the need and joy to share your experiences to others.

This year's event is just getting bigger and it grows from word of mouth and the diligent work from it's creator, Colleen Maloney-Hinds, professor at Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, California. With even more booths and vendors than their last festival, the event has almost tripled in size since it's first appearance in the Inland Empire. People come from as far away as San Diego and Los Angeles to make the trek to the tiny Inland town of Yucaipa to experience something unique and needed in this day and age.

This year's event has an entertainment stage with live music and performances throughout the day's event and will be co-sponsored by my Shanti Scribe blog, AOP-Studios & Productions and with Jennifer Sparks and the 6th Street School of Music.

To check out the vendors attending and guest speakers throughout the day, check out the festival's Facebook page and website at:  http://www.herbivorefestival.com

To get a feel of the event, check out the video created by myself, Shanti Scribe, of the first one.

Don't miss out on this year's event!!!

"Contemporary nostalgia is not so much about the past as about vanishing the present."
- scholar Svetlana Boym
The word nostalgia parses to nostos, Greek for "homecoming," and algos, Greek for "pain." Nostalgia literally means the pain of imagined homecomings, and homecomings are meant to include most potently the fond memories of familiar and pleasing scenarios.
"Although nostalgia once was thought to be primarily a negative emotion, more modern interpretations in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and even neuroimaging suggest that the pangs of nostalgia play an important and potentially positive role in our emotional homeostasis."
Speer, et al. (2014)
It is graduation time for many students, young people and friends. I don't have kids of my own but live vicariously through the families and friends I know as I attend these milestone events. It makes me proud and eager to see what will become of these new "time travelers." Their dreams becoming reality (or not), their loss and gain of family and friends on their new timelines, their gradual fulfillment of wisdom as time moves forward. I wish them well on this journey that they embark on.
Congratulations to all of you and I hope one day that you feel the need and joy to share your experiences to others.

Herbivore Festival? What's that???

The Herbivore Festival is a non-profit celebration of plant-based living brought to you by Crafton Hills College's Department of Kinesiology and Health. On May 1st come listen to our amazing Keynote Speaker Dr. Hans Diehl as he talks about "Reversing Diabetes without Drugs or Injections."  There will be tons life-changing lectures, cooking demos, fitness activities, musical and art performances, activities for the kiddos and of course loads of plant-based and cruelty free vendors!  Oh and did we mention... FOOD!!!

The goal of our event is to educate and empower people to adopt a plant-based diet and provide them with the tools to stick with it.  With open arms we welcome those who are completely unfamiliar with plant-based diets as well as the most seasoned of vegetarians (LOL!)  We hope that our festival will open eyes and inspire people to change and/or strengthen their lifestyles to prevent and reverse disease, help millions of animals and the planet. 

And.... it is Totally FREE!   FREE Admission, FREE parking, FREE lectures, workshops, activities and performances!!  
And... some companies are offering free samples to give away to our first guests!

We are just getting started so not all of our vendors, lectures etc are posted yet.  As we get closer to the date we will post our schedule on the site.  (:

Please follow us on FB!  www.facebook.com/herbivorefestival

Can't wait to see you MAY 1st!!!  Let's rock the Inland Empire!

Herbivore Festival? What's that??? The Herbivore Festival is a celebration of plant-based living brought to you by Crafton Hills College's Department of Kinesiology and Health.  It will feature Keynote Speaker Dr. Hans Diehl along with lectures from authors, PETA and the community, cooking demos, fitness activities, musical and art performances, activities for the kiddos and of course tons of plant-based and cruelty free vendors!  Oh and did we mention... FOOD!!!

The goal of our event is to educate and empower people to adopt a plant-based diet and provide them with the tools to stick with it.  With open arms we welcome those who are completely unfamiliar with plant-based diets as well as the most seasoned of vegetarians (LOL!)  We hope that this event will open eyes and inspire people to change and or strengthen their lifestyles to prevent and reverse disease, help millions of animals and the planet.  

Check out the website for updates on some surprise guests!

www.herbivorefestival.com