To listen to me, Spencer Schneider, and hosts, Adam Mace & Christina Marinelli discuss “school”, click HERE: Episode 52: Surviving a Cult: An Interview with Former Members of the Odyssey Study Group

Good morning fellow “disgruntled ex-students” –
I hope that you’ve got air conditioning these days. Don’t “intentionally suffer” these climate-change temps if you don’t have to. Just say no!

Speaking of saying no to “intentional suffering”, the NYC press is blowing the lid off of corporate headquarters & nudging the lid off the Boston branch, thanks to a cleverly insincere new recruit, who went all 007 with recording devices hidden inside a pen.

I’m not making this up — read about the pen, and other no longer “invisible school” things here:

Also published in the U.S. Sun, July 23rd: Twisted Society: Inside NYC’s secret cult that forced gay people into conversion therapy & brainwashed high-achievers into manual labor.

The Sun article centers on Spencer Schneider’s book, Manhattan Cult Story. But, in my opinion, this is the most pertinent quote from it: “Any fears Schneider had that School was a cult were allayed when he looked around the room at the seemingly sophisticated and well-to-do crowd – made up of fellow lawyers, doctors, teachers, and heiresses – that was gathered inside the room.”

“School” is what my dear friend and fellow cult buster, Gerette Buglion would call an Everyday Cult. Read about her parallel misadventure in her memoir, An Everyday Cult.

People often ask me if “school”, ie. OSG, is still “school”-ing even though Gans died of Covid last year. As persona non grata, honestly, it’s hard for me to know. As it turns out, corporate headquarters, NYC is actively recruiting and indoctrinating. Read all about it HERE in the New York Post, published on July 9th.

Is Boston still going? Hard to say. But feel free to contact me if you know.

Two Things: 1) Sometimes justice does prevail: Sarah Lawrence Cult Leader Convicted of Trafficking and Extortion

2) Sometimes it doesn’t: I left “school” in 2011, largely because my husband found the blog Esoteric Freedom. It exposed the cult con & provided a cyber gathering place for all “disgruntled ex-students.”

Following Scientology’s strategies, “school” sued the site owner. L. Ron Hubbard saw that– ironically– our justice system does not have remedies to protect whistleblowers from parasitic groups with loads of money. Free speech, anyone?

So “school” said, “Hold my beer,” hired a sleaze-bag lawyer & Esoteric Freedom evaporated. During my recent interview on the pod The Cult Vault, the host, Kacey, mentioned that she’d struggled to find information. Recently, some folks contacted me because a “school” recruiter had been courting them.

For what it’s worth, here is a list of online information that I’ll keep on the top of this blog & add to it, as things roll out:

Most recent:

The New York Mystery Machine interviews me and Spencer Schneider , posted August 1, 2022: Surviving a Cult: An Interview with Former Members of the Odyssey Study Group

NYC cult bought $925K upstate retreat, uses “forced labor’ to dig ditches: source, posted July 23, 2022

Inside NYC’s secret cult that ‘forced gay people into conversion therapy’ & brainwashed high-achievers into manual labor, posted July 23, 2022

Odyssey Study Group cult still going strong after death of charismatic leader Sharon Gans, posted July 9, 2022

Sharon Gans’ NYC cult member exposes fight clubs and broken lives, posted July 2, 2022: I learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know about “School” from this article.

A Cult Vault round table discussion: the host, Kacey, interviews me and Spencer Schneider, together: the compare and contrast between corporate headquarters, NYC, and “school’s” poor cousin, the Boston branch.

A Little Bit Culty interviews Spencer Schneider – Page Turner on his book Manhattan Cult Story

Accused cult leader Sharon Gans Horn cut kids from will: court papers

Manhattan cult duped women into paying fee, working for free: lawsuit

Inside the cult that has been operating in NY for decades

Cult Vault Podcast interviews me (part 1)

Cult Vault Podcast interviews me (part 2)

Cult Vault Podcast interview with Spencer

Another podcast: New York Mystery Machine–Cult Following:The Odyssey Study Group

Another podcast: Drinking on the Job–Sharon’s son talks about being groomed for cult leadership

Past reports:

Sharon Gans Cult Report – the most current blog to come out of corporate headquarters, i.e. the NYC branch.

Archived Pages of Esoteric Freedom from The Wayback Machine

Random website from 2011

A history & analysis of the Sharon Gans group, also known as “The Work” (aka “school”, “the study” … etc)

Comment thread from various ex-members and spouses of members seeking information about “school”. (2006)

Theater group, cult or stage – an article published in The San Francisco Progress, 1978

Sharon Gans left San Francisco amidst scandal in 1978

Comments on “the work” a “fourth way school”

The ganscult

1978 San Francisco Progress article about the Horn/Gans cult

“School” abuse of the court system to shut up an ex-member

Rosie, Sharon, Alex, Robert & “the work”

Rosie O’Donnell refutes cult connection

https://www.adammace.com/nymysterymachine/episode/2f9343e2/episode-33-cult-following-the-odyssey-study-group

Such a shame that I “failed” at my “schooling”. I could be broke, exhausted, miserable and floundering for babysitting and housecleaning gigs, while trying to recruit fellow Target shoppers into the cult. I sucked at the “making new friends” thing.

Instead this “disgruntled ex-student” has a rewarding career, gets to make a lot of music and art with “only life” friends, and is preparing for a book reading and discussion with a fellow cult buster 🙂 If you want to join via Zoom, email me at esther@gsrhealingarts.com.

The ironic thing is that I found what I was looking for from the cult, by leaving the cult. I guess that’s the nature of the beast.

Good morning Readers,
I’m on a little retreat in Vermont, where it’s minus-18 degrees. Good excuse to stay in and write: coffee, fireplace, sunrise:

So, some might find this foodie podcast, Drinking on the Job, interesting. In this episode Sharon’s son talks about being slated to carry the cult forth, and how he rejected this designation.

Instead he sells wine and plays a mean blues guitar. To hear that story, musings about mezcal & some musical samplings click HERE.

Today, I learned what a book plate is … an author’s signature, to be adhered to the inside of the book cover.

And that I’ve been awarded, “angriest blogger”. There must be an Emmy for “angriest blogger” … don’t you think?

Regardless, I’m, appropriately, full of pride!

Thanks, Spencer!

Order your copy now and stop by Spencer’s evil blog to learn how you can get your own book plate!

Interview with Spencer Schneider, author of Manhattan Cult Story

Hi Readers,

Happy almost New Year — I raise my glass to leaving 2021, behind! But, with all that’s gone off the rails, this season still beats the holidays I spent in “school.”

So, I want to let you know about the podcast, The Cult Vault. Brilliant host, Kacey, has turned her attention to our secret little mom & pop cult. FYI, “school”, or “the study”, or OSG (whatever its calling itself now) operates both in New York City, (aka Corporate Headquarters) & Boston (the satellite branch & poor cousin). So, New York has its own “evil” blog, The Sharon Gans Cult Report. There, the hilarious Spencer Schneider cuts through the b.s. And recently he published what promises to be a fantastic memoir, Manhattan Cult Story, as well (hard copy release date, July 5th, 2022).

In this Cult Vault episode, Kacey interviews Spencer and their conversation highlights the following: how “school/the study” leveraged generic language (try Googling “secret school”)to keep “school” in the shadows … we met at “the space”, we studied “the work”, we didn’t divulge last names, or careers. This class, teachers claimed, was dedicated to the work, an “ancient, esoteric, oral teaching, passed down” from teacher to student (blah, blah, blah). We didn’t dilute it with “gossip.” How the cult targeted educated and successful professionals, and that clientele made the group look super good! All secrets & lies, by design.

So, if you’re Boston-based and you want to learn about our New York overlords, start with this interview! Then order a copy of Spencer’s book. If you’re New York-based, Kacey will be interviewing me in February, when we’ll discuss the cult’s poor cousin:-)

Stay tuned for more details! And … Come on, 2022!!