Upon immediate consumption of the headline, an air of suspense creeps in. A question might pop into your head, “Am I really about to read a blog post from a cult member?” Yes….and also no. Cult is a hyperbolic word, but what other word shall be used to describe a set of teachings that are both life-changing and unorthodox? Religion is supremely incorrect, and “think group” is rather ugly jargon. Cult is a happy middle of suspense, aura, and intrigue.
Learning from people has always been a strong suit of mine — at least, I thought it was a strong suit. Then I met Jamie Meyer. At first glance, she has a very intimidating aura about her. Not intimidating in that she is scary, but that her energy is at such a high frequency that one dares to ask, “What are you?” You cannot be plainly human; you must be human+.
This was the first of many lessons, one that I received many months later: don’t judge a book by its cover . Of course, being young, there are ample opportunities to learn — one believes — so dismissing most lessons as noise is inevitable. And yet, even during this youthful arrogance and ignorance, Jamie was there, guiding me, teaching me, helping me along the way.
The Way, however, was not installed by her, which is important. Many times, especially in cults (hence the irony), when people begin listening to leaders, those same leaders begin to install mental malware that corrupts the world models of the followers, filtering out common-sense and supplanting ideas and philosophies that strengthen the reputation and resolve of the “leader.” This is not what Jamie did. Instead, she offered me tools and techniques for discovering my own mind, my own world model, my own set of beliefs and desires. And in fact, she did not even offer me tools; she gave me the blueprints for me to build my own, in my own way. This was the second lesson I understood: surrender (mentally and spiritually) to the people who know more than you.
A specific example that I will remember so long as I remain constricted to flesh and bone is when Jamie explained to me the concept of CC, or Cognitive Conditioning. Essentially, you go through your own mind — a very meta-meta-cognitive exercise — and see what thoughts you have, which ones sprout at what point, etc. You then begin to do probably the hardest thing a human can do. That is, take apart your fucking mind. Seriously. You consider the thoughts you have, and question every single one.
For myself, one of the first thoughts is that I am not good enough because I don’t have a certain product or service or whatever — the beauty of consumerism at its finest! (As an aside, this prompted me to study advertising / marketing on my own mind, and the realizations were shocking. This is the gorgeousness of CC: as you lose your mind, you gain it back in a perfect paradox.) Applying CC to this thought, I begin to question it. “Why am I not good enough? What specifically is it about me that makes me feel not good enough? Not good enough for what precisely?” And so on. Eventually, you get to the root of the thought. This can take seconds or weeks, depending on the severity and depth of your neurosis. As you get to the root, and this is where the cosmic horror of CC starts showing, you realize that the thought itself was useless, but also, doesn’t exist for any purpose. Any thus, it vanishes without a trace. Apply this to basically every thought, and you’ve got the perfect formula for a clear mind. Any time I have any kind of insecurity or dispassion or anxiety or desire, I begin to use CC to question it to the very core. And every single damn time, the results are uniform and enlightening. There is so much more to CC, and I haven’t gone the full way yet, however, this is already powerful enough by itself.
The question now becomes: how on Earth did Jamie figure this out? I have no clue. Maybe it was the turbulence of her younger years, or maybe she’s part of the Illuminati. Both of these things exist equally in my mind, and I will always be skeptical of her origins. She really doesn’t make any sense, in the best way. This brings me to another very important piece, that of my absolute hatred of her. Because she’s always right! Every call I have with her, at some point, I yell out in frustration, “Jamie, I hate you!” This is not a joke.
The absolute disdain, apoplectic rage I feel for Jamie is because she is genuinely, utterly, positively, undeniably, always correct. This can happen in the moment or many months later — which is yet another point of praise for her. One thing I always tell people is how she will say something that makes sense in the moment, but is forgotten by the next day. Some weeks or months later, a situation that utilizes that exact piece of information occurs, and you instantly remember her words and apply it to the situation. Magically, it gets resolved, and you stand there wondering how on Earth she predicted that circumstance to occur and why she gave you that piece of information at that moment. And it is this moment that you become terrified or awestruck of her. Or both. Anyway, back to my hatred of her.
There are many instances where I will make an argument for an hour, and she will carefully deconstruct the argument and explain, in horrifying detail, why it seems that I am right and where my blindspots are. She will then offer a new, fuller argument that encapsulates my own but from a different perspective. Is this not power in its purest form? Sans arrogance and ego, she listens, pays respect, and offers guidance (but does not force it).
Jamie has made me a fuller human being. This is something I will never appreciate enough, and something I can never repay her for. I have a feeling that she will say repayment to her is not necessary, but now my job is to give these teachings to others, in my own way. I am up for that challenge. Her love and appreciation for life, for philosophy, for connection, is something I cherish daily. And honestly, I feel very lucky and humbled that I got to be born in the epoch that Jamie exists in.
She’s a great friend and mentor, and hopefully soon, will be a great cult leader.
Children of Piraeus: A bosom friend afar brings distant lands near.