What Goes Around, Comes Around

Hey, I heard Robin is dating again!

...and she still doesn't do laundry.

Here's a crazy story:

Once while I was assigned to "house control" (basically spending the day tasked with answering phone calls and waving one's hands around in the apparent attempt at "controlling" the energy in the building) I fielded a phone call from a High School student who was interested in psychic issues and asked about the "Healing Clinic". He also asked if he could film the "clinic". My reply was that he was welcome to attend the "clinic" but we can't allow filming in respect for the privacy of the attendees. Pretty reasonable, I figured.

The student accepted that information and I proceeded to give him the time and location of the "clinic".

The next morning (a Saturday), Robin Dumolin called me at my home at the crack of dawn (which pissed me off) demanding to know what in hell I told the High School student. I repeated what I told the student and added that response was measured, reasonable and responsible.

Robin's reaction was totally unexpected (actually it was perfectly in character for Robin): she went on to say she heard (from unnamed sources) that the teen child of a former member was running around in their High School talking about the Academy for Psychic Studies and that certain of her fellow students were conspiring to film a 60 Minutes type of investigative report for a school project and what in hell was I doing letting some asshole kid come in to the sacred territory of the Academy for Psychic Studies with a goddamn camera?

Uh, didn't I make it clear that no filming or recording would be allowed to respect the privacy of the attendees?

And from what I was hearing, I figured the "teen child of a former member" was not the source. Judging from what was said and my experience with other "factual Academy rumors", I believed the source was probably a current member who said they heard from someone who may have been associated with another teen who may be familiar with the person in question that something possibly nefarious may be brewing from an unknown teen who is hell bent on exposing the odd behavior at the Academy for Psychic Studies because other disgruntled members have children the same age.

OK. That makes sense, doesn't it? But that is pretty close to her description of the chain of reasoning. Robin was always the rational one...

I had to calm her down (which is pretty much not possible when Robin is on a tear) but gave up and told her I said all I could and I was late for my Jell-O mold class or something like that and hung up the phone.

That was in early 2006 when I was one foot out the door. That incident was just one more item in a growing list of idiotic behavior that pushed me right out of there.

Now does that little incident give you a picture of the paranoia, the impulsive action and reliance on rumor in the place of facts and information give you a picture of how the Academy for Psychic Studies operated behind the scenes?

I thought the Academy for Psychic Studies was just another badly run non-profit. The more I recall and reflect upon, the more I realize how much worse it was than that.

That reliance on rumor as fact, the constant paranoia of being seen in the public while being totally reliant on public interest for the growth and sustenance of the organization as well as the abusive, accusatory manner in which members of the Academy for Psychic Studies were treated was just too much.

I knew at that moment, there may be little to hold me back from the evil clutches of the Witches of Ellsworth. But, a hope of staying still existed. I hung on to the hope things would improve. Then Angela lit the fuse saying "Sell the goddamn house!" and of course, give her a 10% tithe on the proceeds when it was sold as well as another 10% tithe on whatever is left every year after that.  In exchange for my tithe, I can expect to receive even more idiotic behavior from the Witches of Ellsworth Street as well as dehumanizing, demeaning and abusive treatment from them whenever I balked at giving them even more money.

So, I got tired of constantly owing them for services that were not only worthless but appeared to have only one purpose: to keep me indentured to Witches for a lifetime of submission.

Maybe I do owe Robin and Angela some kind of kudos. Maybe I should thank them. Maybe I should elevate them to the stratospheric heights of near-deities as Bill Duby insisted we should.

Yeah, I do owe them! Thanks Angela and Robin! Through your stupid behavior, you two have unwittingly opened the floodgates on the reservoir of deceit, abuse and exploitation hidden behind a dam of fear and shame. You have made this blog and the courageous testimony of so many others exposing those abusive and bizarre practices possible.

And thanks for suing Joy and me. It gave us a chance to roll up your "lawsuit" and boff you on the nose with it, sending you into the basement with your tail between your legs. Thanks for paying our attorney fees as well. It was indeed satisfying to whap you with your own paper and have you pay us to do it.

Pleasure doing business with you, girls!