Reflections on Fandom and Cult Influence

Mike Finch has a Doctorate in Math and Theoretical Physics. He is also a Fellow of the International Society for Philosophers. Like many people I know, he was on a meditation journey and ended up with an Indian guru, then called “Guru Maharaji,” then just “Maharaji,” and later only by his given name: Prem Rawat. Mike was able to leave Rawat in 2000. Since then, Mike’s interests have included the exploration of why he surrendered to the guru, how he stayed for 30 years, and now how to deal with the aftermath. Mike’s book, Without the Guru: How I took My Life Back after Thirty Years (published in 2009), explores Mike’s journey into this rigid belief system, how he realized he was trapped in a cult, and then how he broke away.

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