The Response to the Academy for Psychic Studies Response

Here is what Joy thinks of the Academy for Psychic Studies response.

Go ahead, watch the video.  You'll like it.

Here's what I think about their response.

The Academy for Psychic Studies has a response to all the things I said on this blog and to all the things ever said about, them I guess. I wouldn't agree to settle until I saw it. Well, I have seen it. And now that I have, I think it's a good time to deconstruct it and comment on it piece by piece.

Below, I will excerpt the response from the Academy for Psychic Studies and add my commentary.


Response First Paragraph
The Spiritual Rights Foundation was founded in 1981. Since its inception, thousands of seeking souls have come through its doors. For some seekers, SRF was a brief sojourn on their path, for others, an abiding spiritual home.

Commentary
Since there are roughly 16 people left in an organization that claims to have affected the lives of tens of thousands, there seems to be a slight problem with retention, don't you think? If over the years you hang on to 16 people out of thousands, there's got to be something wrong. And I don't think there is something wrong with the seekers.

Oh, and the phrase "brief sojourn" is incorrect as "sojourn" means a temporary (aka: brief) stay. And since I'm nurturing my inner grammarian, the word "abiding" is actualy a verb taken from the root word "abide", meaning "to stay". These writers have used a verb where they should use an adjective such as "treacherous" or "inescapable" or "irredeemable".

Response Second Paragraph
For those who have come and gone, SRF has nothing but good wishes, understanding that those who left found what they needed and then journeyed on. Some former students of SRF have gone on to be spiritual guides and teachers in their own right, and many of those still maintain a warm and nourishing connection with SRF. On the other hand, a small number who have left SRF have expressed hostility and anger toward SRF after leaving. Some have made the most outrageous and fantastic claims against SRF.

Commentary
Interesting statement. Read this paragraph carefully: SRF wishes you well if you decide to walk away and shut the hell up. To the knowledge of, well, anyone there were NO "warm and nourishing" connections with ex-members. Instead, when someone left the fold we were gathered around to "clean out" that person's energy from the premises and our consciousness. - regardless whether that member left with hugs and kisses or with a display of his or her middle finger. Actually, everyone we can remember left with his or her middle finger extended.

Leaving SRF on "good" terms was unheard of and the existence of a "warm and nourishing" relationship with anyone who has exited was also unheard of. 

As for those who have gone on to become "spiritual guides and teachers in their own right", the few who dared to venture out on their own to bring the shining light of inspiration and truth to the Great Unwashed were brutally ridiculed in front of as many SRF followers as could be mustered.

• One SRF member went on to form a spiritual school of his own. His teaching was essentially the same as SRF. However his school was branded "bullshit" by the leaders - even though that person established the SRF "spiritual education" curriculum.
• Another person who practices her own brand of spiritual teaching (and sold some of SRF's recorded materials) was never acknowledged at all. No one would talk about her.
• One person moved on to start his own spiritual school near SRF headquarters. The "warm and mourishing" relationship consisted of as much silence about him as possible.
• There is another SRF graduate currently teaching spiritual matters. I don't remember any acknowledgment of him at all. In fact, I'd like to see the faces of the SRF leaders when someone asks about him.
• There is a couple who have recently started their own spiritual school. They certainly do not have the "warm and nurturing" relationship SRF claims. In fact, they left after the President of SRF (Angela Silva) made a blatantly false statement about one of them to the gathered congregation. When that person wrote a complaint to Angela, the letter was read and ridiculed to the gathered congregation.

That is 0 for 6 (the couple counts as 2). Can they name the people with whom they are practicing their own brand of warmth and nourishment? Can you? Can anyone? 

I have never heard of "warm and nourishing connections" between the extraordinarily small number of spiritual teachers unleashed into the world by the Academy for Psychic Studies and the leaders, staff and students thereof. In fact, I never heard anything but the worst possible insults and derision for anyone who dared to leave the Academy to begin their own brand of teaching.

What is also interesting is the last two sentences. Actually, MOST of those who leave Academy for Psychic Studies have at least some anger at them. Anger and being lied to. Anger at being cheated out of thousands of dollars. Anger at the insertion of the leaders into their most precious and intimate relationships. So, if most ex-members are angry and if the Academy for Psychic Studies has touched the lives of tens of thousands, there has to be tens of thousands of persons who are right pissed vs. the 16 8 "happy", "prosperous" souls who remain.

As far as "outrageous and fantastic claims" go, you have seen in this blog many of my opinions based on my experiences at the Spiritual Rights Foundation, the experiences of my contemporaries, the experiences of former staff of SRF, public record, court documents, media reports and the Spiritual Rights Foundation's own publications. Some of what we report is outrageous - the outrageous behavior the leaders conducted at SRF and the outrage we felt when we recalled that behavior. Public record, court documents and the experiences shared by many is what I report here.


Is it fantasy to have reported it? Or maybe it is fantasy to deny it.

Far from making "outrageous and fantastic claims", I'm reporting the outrageous behavior and fantastic beliefs of the leaders of the Spiritual Rights Foundation observed by me and my colleagues at SRF, ministers and students alike. I raised several questions that arise from seeing that behavior. And I make pointed commentaries that arise from seeing that behavior.

If you keep reading, you'll see the Spiritual Rights Foundation doesn't address any of the events involving Bill Duby, Angela Silva or Robin Dumolin described in this blog or elsewhere. Instead, they will say, you, me and everyone else are warped and depraved, projecting our own spiritual shortcomings on poor little them.

Response Third Paragraph
The anger that some former students expressed after leaving SRF is akin to the anger that some children express as they separate from a parent that nurtured and supported them. The process of separation is necessary for some souls, and, unfortunately, separation can be messy as it involves all kinds of justifications and projections.

Commentary
I'm speechless. Perhaps they found a Psychology 101 textbook that dropped open on the "projection" page. Or maybe they consulted an expert on the subject and made a well considered and thoughtful determination. Oh, yes. I forgot. Robin is an expert at Google-ing and she read the only paragraph she could understand on the subject from the Oprah site.

And uh, I have not ever met someone who separated from their parents in anger, when their parents are indeed warm, supportive, and as nurturing as most parents are (has anyone left their kind and supportive parents pissed off?).  I have met people who separated from their parents in anger when their parents are abusive, exploitative, unreasonable, dictatorial, insane or just plain mean - just like the leaders of the Spiritual Rights Foundation.

I wonder if Robin, Angela and Debi are speaking from their own experience?  All three have at this expressed conflict or strain with one or both of their parental units.  Perhaps the strained relationships with their own parents inspired the above statement?  Would we then, be the targets of the "projections" and "justifications" of the three SRF leaders who have expressed their own rocky relationships with their parents?  Since it is much harder to reconcile your emotions when your abuser is dead, perhaps they are looking for a target, any target, for the unresolved issues with their dead parents?

Or maybe I'm just cutting the Witches too much slack... 

If the inconsiderate martinets at the Spiritual Rights Foundation truly believe they give the support and nurturing of the finest parents, while they loot their flock's finances, conduct baseless and self-destructive lawsuits (ours is only one), skirt the law, displace parents from their children and shriek of defamation while thrusting a dagger in your back when their immoral and detrimental behavior is brought into the light, then I guess they really are nourishing and supportive.

Maybe I'll go back and get me some more of that kind of nourishment and support. 

Response Fourth Paragraph
Spiritual teachers are subjected to all manner of projections from their students. Students project their higher selves as well as their shadows onto their teacher. Discerning students recognize that they are projecting their own psychic wounds on to the teacher. These students continue to grow and mature. Some students do not understanding (sic) the phenomenon of projection and believe that what they are seeing in the teacher is really inherent in the teacher. These students can become stuck in their confusion and anger and, as a result, fail to progress. 

Commentary
So, let's get this straight: they are saying in Oprah-esque language that all students of Bill Duby projected their own spiritual or psychic wounds onto Bill. OK, fine. However, Bill has been DEAD for a number of years. The lawsuit against us was brought by  Angela Silva and, Robin Dumolin  because THEY were offended. In their complaint, there was only passing reference to Bill Duby and his legacy of insanity. My outrage and the outrage of so many others is directed at:  Angela Silva and, Robin Dumolin  with a passing reference to Bill Duby.

Nice try, girls. You can't use a dead man to duck the tomatoes coming your way.

Response Fifth Paragraph
The late Rev. Bill, the founder of SRF, was the recipient all kinds of projections from his students. Rev. Bill was an iconoclast who refused to be held to a particular form. He was a spiritual teacher that never conformed to the stereotypical image that people hold of a spiritual teacher. As a flame can illuminate one’s path or burn one’s hand, so was Rev. Bill. (sic)  He was challenging to some because he confronted students who tried to hide behind false conceptions and worn-out ways of being. For those who knew and understood him, Rev. Bill was a guiding light on their path to Truth.


Commentary
This paragraph stands out as a screaming example of writing while rounding the bases on the astral plane. Again, Bill is DEAD. Had  Angela Silva and, Robin Dumolin reconciled themselves with the abuses committed upon the congregation and consequently renounced those practices, there would be no need for anyone to have exposed the Spiritual Rights Foundation's inexcusable practices and behavior.

They could still make a mea culpa, right the wrongs of the past and continue in an ethical, warm and nurturing fashion. However, as there is certainly a profit motive involved in maintaining the status quo - why strangle that golden goose?

It's SRF standard practice to say everyone but the few at the top are hiding behind false conceptions. I guess "false conceptions" such as family first, help your neighbor, honor they mother and thy father and "worn-out ways of being" like enjoying home and family, encouraging your children to pursue an education relevant to their skills and interest, providing for your loved ones instead of dumping money to a cult are just a few of the things Bill and his Femme Fatales have been confronting the students to give up.

Well, those who did stand aside and who allowed Bill,  Angela Silva and, Robin Dumolin  to confront them found their wallets, bank accounts, relationships with spouses, the love of their children and their very souls incinerated by SRF's flame of illumination. But of course, you need to experience such a re-birthing process to reveal that guiding light on the path of truth, don’t you? Just don't ask where everything you used to have wound up.

None of us understood why Bill would have to resort to con man tactics and out and out bullying to pry money loose from our wallets.   None of understood how Robin Dumolin and Angela Silva could have all the things they wanted whenever they wanted them, while the rest of us had to wait to get what we needed when we needed it but usually never received.  No one understood how the Blue Sky Ranch, "the people's place" could only be visited if we lowly congregants are "working or paying".

But we do understand we wound up financially wrecked, emotionally destroyed, with fewer prospects, fewer friends and little to no family left after a few years with the Spiritual Rights Foundation.  Would that situation have happened without SRF?  Maybe we really don't understand.

But if you recall the relentless drive to give your money, give your time, "release your family programming", "put your friend's foreign energy down your grounding cord", and the ever-present degradation and humiliation performed by the holy leaders of SRF in the name of looting even more of your money and time, and estranging yourself from anyone left in your life, I guess we really DO understand.

I can also tell you that Robin Dumolin and Angela Silva were the only ones understood Bill Duby.  They understood Bill could con people out of money like no one else.  They understood all that money flowed through their hands and theirs alone.  They understood how to hide that money.  They understood how to spend that money.  And they understood every penny of the Spiritual Rights Foundation's money was in fact, intended to go straight to them.

So now, I guess you understand Bill Duby as well.

Sixth Paragraph
Some of Rev. Bill’s former students had difficulty in assimilating his teachings, and in understanding who he was. In order to justify leaving SRF, these students painted a picture of Rev. Bill as a dangerous man. However, these students failed to grasp that the image they painted was simply a projection from their own psyche. They failed to realize that the real danger lies in not understanding that what they have projected onto Rev. Bill is the picture of their own unresolved inner wounds.

Commentary
First, Bill worked deliberately to make his message incomprehensible and his own personal history murky and unverifiable while spinning a tale of amazing, superhuman deeds. As far as being "a dangerous man" is concerned, Lewis Bostwick, Bill Duby's claimed "mentor" made the observation that Bill was "dangerously twisted" and was to be kept as far away as possible.

Bill Duby's tirades were legendary.  Bill once taunted a member so the member would take a swing at Bill.  The purpose of the taunts were not to clear whatever psychic energy was haunting the member.  It was so Bill could file a battery charge against the member.  Fortunately, the member was one of the more intelligent persons you'll ever meet.  Bill's scheme was so transparent, the member was able to recognize it and keep his cool, spoiling Bill's grand plan.

The hours-long screaming tirades where Bill made death threats against members who displeased him, grabbed and assaulted women who were not of service to him were common.  I witnessed Bill slap around a female member who was not as compliant as he wanted.

Sorry girls, it's not a "projection" from the minds of the formally-faithful that Bill was "dangerous" - it was the considered opinion of Bill's claimed mentor and our observations of his terroristic threats and physical abuses. It's not our inner wounds that call Bill insane. Bill was proud to waive his Medicare card in the air proclaiming the government considered him so insane, he was declared permanently disabled. 

Oh, but those facts are mere fantasy in the minds of the psychically wounded. Bill's students projected an image of insanity and danger onto him by way of misinterpreting the insane hostility and anger Bill displayed towards his students as, you know, hostility, anger and insanity towards his students.

How silly of me to have not understood. A dozen Krispy Kremes are coming your way in apology.

Response Final Paragraph
Many charges and wild allegations have been hurled at Rev. Bill and SRF by a small–but vocal--group of former students. Rev. Bill cannot defend against the charges, and SRF chooses not to do so. For those who believe the wild stories told by some former students, nothing SRF can say will change they minds. SRF invites those who want to see the truth with their own eyes to come, take a look at SRF’s work, meet the current students and teachers, listen to the teachings, and then to listen to the teaching that comes from their own hearts.

Commentary
It's another paragraph written from Right Field on the astral plane.  There is no hurling of insults here, just the revelation of truthful experiences and the opinions developed from them.

However, I will admit to hurling my lunch when I think about the place.

In a one sentence, SRF admits they will not address anything stated on this blog or anywhere else. However, they took up several paragraphs saying we who speak from OUR souls and have listened to the teachings of our OWN hearts, and we who speak the truth have been wasting our time beating a dead man rather than expose the ongoing exploitative behavior of the current leadership.

That last paragraph tells the whole story: the leaders of the Spiritual Rights Foundation never read the message, they never bother to understand themselves or the people around them. Angela Silva and, Robin Dumolin have not only separated themselves from the way the people of the world think, they insulate themselves from it. They are quick to attack the character of those who disagree without offering foundation, evidence and certainly without even taking the time to understand what is being said.

But, I think we already know: they never did understand what is being said nor do they want to. If they were to read all the commentary (here and elsewhere) made by the people who were subjected to their abusive and exploitative behavior, they would drop faster than Michael Jackson.

And I have seen this: when they see something they can't understand, they insult the message and the messenger. It's a typical pattern with Angela Silva and Robin Dumolin: they belittle the messenger while never addressing the message.

 

Like a cat, they toy with the messenger to just short of the point of death before losing interest and moving to another victim while the first ran and hid. 

But this time, the messenger wouldn't try to run and hide. In fact, they found this messenger fought back - and defeated their attempt to exert petty tyranny.

Joy and I may have been their latest victim but we are determined to be the last. Our struggle against them has laid a blow that rippled through the very heart of their existence. We have worked to protect the rights of those who wish to speak out now and for those who will. I expect the SRF despots and their lackeys will think twice before coming after anyone else.

And no collection of insipid detritus like the alleged "response" from the Spiritual Rights Foundation will ever prevent me from standing tall in the face of oppression.

But don't let me stop you. Do as they say. Go there and take a look at SRF for yourself. 

But keep this in mind:  I used to have links to the Spiritual Rights Foundation and related sites as way to maintain fairness and balance. Inexplicably, Angela Silva and Robin Dumolin demanded those links be removed. I removed them because it wasn't worth an argument and further, their demand to remove the links accomplished only one thing: now you can't click through to the SRF site for their side of the story. 

So, you'll have to speak with a current student of SRF- if you can find one.  The elite Clairvoyant Training Program is barren of students.  Their "core curriculum" classes have been empty but one unsuspecting soul does turn up once or twice a year - only to leave after a session or two.

They also ask you to come take a class and see for yourself. I would say you should if you are so inclined, if there is one.  The classes offered have dwindled from several per session to maybe one.  However, you can go to a healing retreat or refreshing spa day for a couple hundred or so.

Go speak with them and speak with others if you can find them to get their side of the story and make up your own mind about this place.  In fact, I have ALWAYS encouraged you make up your own mind. But please be sure it is YOU who made your mind. I let them make up my mind for me. I and many others paid a horrible price for our mistake.

But go take that class, have that reading, enjoy that healing and listen to that teaching. 

And do as they say: listen to the teaching that comes from your own heart.

It might say: RUN, SPOT, RUN!  It's a CULT!