UK Sathya Sai Organization’s New Age leadership

One has to wonder why this organization has chosen as its leader a person who exhibits all the signs of an unbridled New Age spirituality, Reverend Rosemary Perry? Probably, having a ‘reverend’ – ordained as an Interfaith Minister –  is seen to help this embattled cult’s credibility as not being overwhelmingly a Hindu-oriented religious sect. However, though one of the central themes of Sathya Sai Baba is that his ‘teaching’ is universal and fits all religions, no mainstream religious bodies or sects have ever sponsored him, nor is his Organization allowed to enter into any joint projects with other religious organizations. However, by the selection to the top leadership position in the UK Organization, their image as adherents of genuinely lunatic fringe thinking is reinforced considerably. This is not actually uncommon among Sathya Sai Baba adherents (see links at bottom of page).

Rosemary Perry makes known her qualifications as a practitioner of numerous of  the most wholly unscientific and fanciful ‘therapies’ and delusional ‘theories’.

She writes on her page with personal details (see here) that she became: “an Analytical Hypnotherapist – my first client was myself! I later trained as a Homoeopath using Radiesthesia (dowsing for crucial ‘Miasms’ on a long black calibrated box). I developed a passion for seeking out ‘Earth Energy Lines’ and ‘Sacred Power Points’ in these enigmatic British Isles”

Comment: Homeopathy is uncertain enough and wholly unproven as effective in any way by any reliable research project, despite what patients think, but dowsing in combination with it is plain irrational self-deception.

“By becoming ordained as an Interfaith Minister I further healed layers of subtle separation between me and my innate, inherent, divinity. In the 1990s I was Co-ordinator for ‘Fountain International’ a worldwide community and global healing network that uses visualisation and meditation to put love and light into focal points round the world.”

Comment: ‘Innate and inherent divinity’ is of course New Age and Sathya Sai Baba propaganda, all pious immaterialism and theological fantasy speculation, After testing this concept through years of spiritual discipline (sadhana) – and then subjecting it to deep philosophical analysis – it is seen as a wholly implausible wishful thinking, based upon unprovable, illogical and irrational master assumptions like “Everything is God” See here.

“I have become quite oriented towards Past Life investigation as a therapeutic tool over the last 10 years and have been surprised at the accuracy of enquiries made via Psychometry (holding someone’s watch or jewellery to ‘read’ the vibrations in it). This method has yielded the most authentic findings and often leads to clairvoyant advice on how to utilise a particular skill developed in a past life that is actually needed for reactivation in life now. My personal astrology entirely supports this sort of career.“[[Note: she is twice divorced, but now “married to a wonderful soulmate of many past life liaisons!]] “I used to think I was a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, but I now love the richness and diversity of my pursuits.

Comment: Master of no trades clearly fits the bill very well… because she evidently has no proper professional qualifications of any kind… not even recognised diplomas for most of the alternative medicine she professes:-

I now have a vast array of mixed skills such as therapeutic Past Life exploration, Homoeopathy, Hypnotherapy, official ‘Cutting the Ties That Bind’ facilitator, Clairvoyant Intuitive advice and, now, as an Interfaith Minister: Spiritual Counselling and the writing of tailor-made ceremonies for significant rites of passage (such as funerals/weddings/baby namings etc).”

All this is touchy-feely blather, especially the Phyllis Krystal pseudo-therapy, which reminds of self-hypnosis and self-indoctrination on a Polyanna assumption. Clairvoyant intuitive advice… it gets more and more hare-brained. Perry continues with an absurd prediction:

“The spiritualisation of Politics is possibly the most important undertaking for the early part of the 21st Century. It will happen, soon. It relies on the acknowledgement that we are all connected through consciousness. It will occur through several ways:
– By changing the approach of the National Health Service to early subtle diagnosis of symptoms through existing Complementary Medicine techniques (such as Ayurveda). By changing future generations (VITAL): Implementing values-based education (such as SSEHV or Brahma Kumaris Values educational systems) for both children and parents. “

Comment:  Neither extreme spiritual escapists nor the lunatic fringe have ever yet managed to get a seat in any British constituency. No wonder that she failed twice as a Parliamentary Candidate for the Natural Law Party! Her absurd belief that the National Health Service will spiritualise British politics is a real howler. If her types would be allowed a free rein in it, there would be a gigantic public outcry… as there is already much well-founded criticism of the relatively very small current support for some peripheral pseudo-medicine on prescription. Much Ayurvedic medicine today still includes drinking of ones own urine every morning as a medicine! As Professor Dawkins has pointed out about it, that it is very old is absolutely no guarantee that it can hold water (sic!). See RichardDawkins.net Forum • View topic – Debunking Yoga & Ayurveda!!

I can confidently predict that – misguided as she is – she will never gain a seat in Parliament unless she becomes a far more sober and rational person. “We are all connected through consciousness” has no practical application, no more than we are all connected through air, or water or whatever. This is close to the ultimate in vague imaginings. So President Obama, Bill Gates, Osama bin laden, Sai Baba – and not forgetting Rosemary Perry – are connected through consciousness…. so what, they are all at odds with one another in most fundamental ways.

Why Rosemary Perry flaunts her self-appreciation web page is a wonder… it almost cries out for sensible comment. Moreover, anyone who uncritically supports Sathya Sai Baba, – so widely accused of sexual abuse of young men and children, and who was involved in murder cover-up –  without investigating the facts of the matter should be looked on with great suspicion. Parents who may consider sending their children to the kind of value education she promotes – also a religiously fundamental and ideologically-rigid system are hereby warned. One wonders whether Rosemary Perry has ever heard of ‘duty of care’ and ethical and moral mandatory reporting obligations?