Sacred Eroticism or Sexual Magic? Liselotte Frisk’s Research on MISA
Shortly before her death in 2020, distinguished Swedish scholar of new religious movements Liselotte Frisk conducted a study of the Helsinki ashram of the Natha Yoga Center, a group connected with the Romanian-based MISA, the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute. Her report, although...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
The journal of CESNUR
Year: 2024, Volume: 8, Issue: 5, Pages: 36-50 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Shortly before her death in 2020, distinguished Swedish scholar of new religious movements Liselotte Frisk conducted a study of the Helsinki ashram of the Natha Yoga Center, a group connected with the Romanian-based MISA, the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute. Her report, although unfinished, was published in this journal in January 2024. The article places Frisk’s report within the framework of controversies about “brainwashing” and the theories of American anti-cult psychologist Margaret Singer. It shows that Frisk’s criticism of Singer did not simply repeat the arguments of previous scholars but included important original elements. Frisk then applied her criticism of Singer’s to discussions about MISA and the Natha Yoga Center, challenging media and anti-cult theories that they are “cults practicing brainwashing” and that their practices of sacred eroticism are not embraced voluntarily by female students who decide to engage in this peculiar path to spiritual enlightenment. |
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| ISSN: | 2532-2990 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of CESNUR
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.26338/tjoc.2024.8.5.4 |
