Gentlewindproject.org.....what the hell...

[bigred]

First the link FYI:

http://www.gentlewindproject.org/

OK duh, it's some goofy New Age stuff (or "woo" as it's called here), it makes no sense, it's stupid, blah blah......for now at least can we pls skip the very obvious commentaries and jabs as I'm just trying to find out if anyone knows anything about this, ie what is it SUPPOSED to do and how, generally speaking....and I don't mean some high-level "oh it's supposed to make you feel better by magic isn't it dumb".....again pls spare me the grade school cracks and stating of the generally obvious. I probably agree at least 99% with whatever you think about it but frankly don't care right now. I'm trying to get a handle on more or less what it IS more specifically so when I talk to someone I know who is getting into it, I can address it. Just ripping on it in general won't be much help, and as for rational arguments against such things in general, I have those "speeches" already well covered.

Anyway....

From what I gather a big part of what they're into are these "trauma cards" and "trauma technology"......again just hoping against hope someone knows something about this or knows someone who does and trying to find out what the "angle" is that they try to suck people in with, ie beyond the general/typical high-level prattle. I visited the site but (surprise) they ramble on endlessly w/o really saying much. I guess I'm looking for something comparable to someone who has just heard about scientology and is looking for someone to explain that they think aliens are coming or are responsible for mankind or whatever...ie cut thru the "fluff" and get down to what's under the hood.

Thx and pardon if I offended anyone - just not into wasting time if possible, and I know how throwing this stuff out is like sharks to blood.

 

[Eos of the Eons]

Well, they have some cards and stuff to hold, and they are supposed to "heal" you. There is a testimonials page where there are anecdotes mostly from one guy that just raves about some card he holds.

He brags about how his wife will ask "have you held your cad today"

I kind of laughed. It's like asking someone to "chill, take a pill".


Check out the "healing instruments" they have for sale.
*edit out pic...frac, it's huge when I put in the link!*
The card looks like something my seven year old can do in paint shop pro.

Randi would probably love to have them come and get their wares tested for the million dollar prize.

Q:
If I cannot afford a to give a donation, can I still obtain a Healing Instrument?


A:
Yes, The Gentle Wind Project has a program that allows people an avenue for earning a Healing Card. You can give us a call for details.

Hmm, I wonder what the avenue for earning a Healing Card is?

 

[Serenity]

Well, they have some cards and stuff to hold, and they are supposed to "heal" you. There is a testimonials page where there are anecdotes mostly from one guy that just raves about some card he holds.

He brags about how his wife will ask "have you held your cad today"

I kind of laughed. It's like asking someone to "chill, take a pill".

Check out the "healing instruments" they have for sale.
*edit out pic...frac, it's huge when I put in the link!*
The card looks like something my seven year old can do in paint shop pro.

Randi would probably love to have them come and get their wares tested for the million dollar prize.

This website's amusing rhetoric has healed me immensely.
This excerpt from their site says it all about their products:

We apologize for the "laundered" instrument descriptions found below. While our instruments work entirely with the spiritual etheric nature and because of their newness and unusual effectiveness we have been advised to limit our descriptive literature in order to remain in compliance with current FDA regulations. These instruments do work and work well and their effectiveness will speak for itself. Clinical trials have been done and some of the results are on the Comments page of this website. In a few cases clinical trials were terminated because the investigators were overwhelmingly satisfied with the effectiveness of our technology and did not wish to deprive the control groups of the relief they found immediately with the experimental groups. You be the judge.
These products listed below have not been evaluated by the FDA These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
​

 

[Eos of the Eons]

It is difficult to say how the healing will effect you because each person has his or her own unique difficulties. The Healing Instruments will solve many difficulties for most people. There are people, few in number, who have not been helped by the use of these Instruments in some way. The majority of people who use them feel calmer and stronger, and more able to get through life's rough patches. The best way to find out if an Instrument will help you is to use one. You can always obtain the healing free of charge by calling the Gentle Wind Project.

So, ambiguous claims, disclaimers, and request for donations. They don't need extraordinary claims. It's a soft sell for something that relies on placebo effect. I don't see anything unusual here.

 

[BobW]

More on these forums at
forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=50172

see also

w w w .windofchanges.org/

 

[Eos of the Eons]

Thank you Bob. There IS more to the story, like scientology, they do make exclusive claims.

These insiders conscientiously describe how they were skillfully manipulated by GWP leaders who claimed to have exclusive connections with the “spirit world.”

It does have the markings of a cult.

 

[bigred]

Appreciate the quick replies. So based on what you've heard or read, is it all about those cards? And it's just "hold the cards and your spirit will help them help you heal" - ? Not that it would shock me if that was it, but again I'm trying to get my arms around it as much as possible so if I approach someone I won't look stupid for ripping on it without knowing the gist of its approach...

And in case you're wondering, no, it's not laziness that prevents me from reading through the whole site or calling them, etc (well OK partly but that's secondary)....I sense that I need to move on this quickly...

 

[Eos of the Eons]

It's a cult. You go, start working on "levels" and families get separated. Then you finally get to:

Two years after our exit from Gentle Wind, my wife was able to gather the courage to recount to me what had happened to her, and others, in the secret group s3xual activities / s3xual rituals (known as “energy work” by the leaders and followers). As part of the “honor” of being part of the secret circle involved in the “energy work,” the women, including my wife, were told to not have sexual relations outside of the group, and to “never tell anyone about this, since the world would not understand.” When my wife was invited by Mary Miller (often the spokesperson for John “Tubby” Miller and the “spirit world”) to be a participant in the “energy work,” she was told that John Miller was the only man enlightened enough to be involved; that “you can imagine what other men would do with this scenario.” She was also told that the GW leaders had “resisted the request from the spirit world to begin having sex with each other,” but that “the spirits said they had to do this for the success of the healing project.” Put this way, it sounded like an assignment, a generous act of service. Through this “generosity,” Gentle Wind now had my wife’s mind – and body.

Another immediate problem for me, after I relocated to Maine, was that the liquidation of our personal assets made us very popular with the group leaders, who, unbeknownst to me, had started to make more requests of my generous wife for money to purchase a second home, this time in Downeast Maine. With increasing uneasiness, she did manage to quell her rising forebodings and – along with other members – came up with some of the money to help the GW leaders buy a luxury waterfront home.

It's quite a bit like when you get into higher levels of scientology.

You get the soft sell, and then you get inducted into the group. You are then asked to take on an alternative reality (get there by using their cards and junk, and you convince yourself that another world, a spiritual world is opening up to you and healing you). The group then becomes your only source of information, and acts as a filter to the outside world. Even your things become theirs in one way or another.

Gentle Wind offered a connection to what seemed like a new reality, one that, we were told, was “connected to the spiritual world where highly evolved souls are dedicated to saving humanity.” For many people, like us, who were already involved in social change and wished to affect good in the world, this represented a cause to invest our energy and talent (and, of course, our money) in the service of others. The world abounds with people who come under the influence of high-control groups because of their very good intentions to help others, and who now fervently believe they are connected to the true meaning of existence: “We’re saved.” “Born again.” “We’ve got it!” In GWP’s case, we believed that we were now “higher level initiates.” Many times, one of the leaders would take a member aside to confide that, “You have reached a __ level of initiation,” purportedly due to following the “spirit world” suggestion to become a photographer, build a boat, or whatever could be imagined through the minds of John “Tubby” Miller and Mary “Moe” Miller.

http://www.windofchanges.org/Husbandsperspective.html

Many people are first drawn in to GWP through offers of "free healings." In some cases these are from "instrument keepers" in the interested person's geographical area, or it happens at GWP seminars. Once the belief system sets in -- as happened with us -- a new recruit can develop a compelling desire to purchase (for "donations") the continuously upgraded versions of the "healing instruments" that come sailing in from the "spirit world" directly to John "Tubby" Miller of Gentle Wind. These instruments have ranged from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with some models upwards of $10,000, even $20,000. Since the instruments are used for "maintenance" of a person's "system" it really follows that one needs his or her own for daily use -- again, once the belief system is in place.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50172

 

[bigred]

Hey just a quick thanks for the replies/info here