Aesthetic Realism is a cult   Who they are, how they operate • Written by former members	Get notified when I update this site.
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“If I disappointed them, then I now consider that a badge of honor.” by Wayne Smith, Feb. 4, 2006      Funny how the brain washing comes back after 25 years. I was thinking how I would start this and was going to write about"AR" and immediately thought someone would ask me if I was showing respect by using just initials for this cult. lol       To tell you the truth, I was a little hesitant to write as it was a fairly positive experience for me, in spite of this group and not because of them. I met some great people (who left the group too). I lived in New York for a year so I enjoyed the cultural experience. And I finally made peace with my homosexuality (after I left). AR was my last attempt to change after psychology and religion had also failed.       It did amaze me to read on your site that Eli Seigel had committed suicide as that certainly did not come out once during my time there. The one thing that really seems a racket to me is how they tell you that you are not ready to express gratitude when you say you haven't changed from homosexuality and maybe if you would donate some money it would help. I cannot believe that they are denying that they led us to believe they could change people from H as they called it. I was there in the early 80's and gay people outnumbered the straight people and changing from homosexualty was one of the main topics.       I am a very private person and don't like to push people to believe things I do [but] they soon had me wearing a victim of the press button and writing letters to Time magazine and demonstrating in the streets. "One [AR member] actually opened an umbrella in an ELEVATOR to show how displeased they were with the former member!" I keep contact with a couple of friends of mine that are former members who say that when they meet active people in AR [the AR people] cross over to the other side of the street. One actually opened an umbrella in an ELEVATOR to show how displeased they were with the former member! In 1982, my AR roommate used to listen in on my calls to my family and then criticize me when I got off the phone. My consultants told me not to fly home for Christmas as I was not "ready" to be fair to AR while I was there. Christmas is a big deal in our family and it took a couple of years to mend family relations for the one Christmas in my life that I did not spend with my family.       After reading your site, I can well imagine how badly my life would have turned out if I had stayed very much longer. I have been with my gay lover now for 3 years and am very happy. And I can say without qualification, it has nothing to do with my time spent in the AR cult! So go ahead and publish my name. Their disapproval means nothing to me now. I felt bad all the time I was there as nothing I did could please these people. If I disappointed them, then I now consider that a badge of honor.   Reader comments about this article Add a comment about this page Feel free to add your thoughts to this page. We don't allow attacks on the contributors, though. (Why not?) Name Email In case we have a question about your post. We won't put it on the web page, of course. Subject: Comments:   Share your Aesthetic Realism story! If you did time in AR, had or have a friend or relative in AR, or had some other run-in with the group, I hope you'll share your story on this site. If you'd like to write something that you don't want to appear on this site, then please instead. Name (We won't publish your name unless you say it's okay, but we have to have it in order to verify submissions.) Email Address (We won't publish your email address, but we have to have it in order to verify submissions.) Please type the word in the picture:  (prevents spam) Your experience: Yes   No Okay to publish your name? Yes   No Okay to identify your gender? (e.g., "his story", "her story") Yes   No Get a notice of updates to this site? (no more than 4x/year)   Former members describe Aesthetic Realism The ULTIMATE statement by a former member. Wow. A former Aesthetic Realism member who was involved for over ten years and into the 1990's sent us this incredibly detailed account of what life inside AR is like. This puts to rest once and for all any lingering question about whether AR is a cult - it is. The AR people will not be able to "counter" this on their Countering the Lies website because this account is from one of their own, and because it's so exhaustively detailed. A tale of getting sucked in. Another former member shares his experiences. This story is unique because he describes exactly how he initially got drawn in, and how he then kept getting more and more involved. Aesthetic Realism ruined his marriage. "[It] introduced a level of stress in my marriage that had not previously existed....I consider my 'study' of Aesthetic Realism to be one of the factors that led to the eventual breakup of my marriage, to my eternal sorrow." This former member also wrote about AR on Steve Hassan's Freedom of Mind. On having all the answers. A former member explains how AR members think they have all the answers, and feel qualified to lecture others about how they should view personal tragedy. Kicked out for remaining gay. A former student describes how he was kicked out of AR because he couldn't change from homosexuality. Powerful stuff. "If I disappointed them, then I now consider that a badge of honor." A former member tells how AR try to change him from being gay, and convinced him not to spend Christmas with his family. "This is merely one example of the way people were controlled and humiliated if they stepped out of line...". The experiences shared with us by a member from 1974-80, now a Fortune 100 executive. "I want Ellen Reiss questioned!" A former member tells her story, and wonders why there hasn't been a class-action lawsuit against the foundation yet. They took his consultation tape. A former student describes how AR people kept his consultation tape with his most intimate thoughts on it, and told him he couldn't study any more unless he incorporated AR more radically into his life. "I personally know at least half of the contributors to AR's Countering the Lies website and know them to either be fibbing or having a long-term memory problem.". A former member from 1971-80, confirms that AR students don't see their families, are discouraged from attending college, and shun other members. He also offers that he was mistaken when he was involved about thinking that AR had changed him from homosexuality. Michael Bluejay's description. This whole website is my statement about Aesthetic Realism. But in this article I describe my family's involvement in more detail. Members interviewed in Jewish Times. This lengthy article in Jewish Times quotes former students of Aesthetic Realism extensively. NY Post article. A series of articles in the NY Post quotes many former members who are now critical of the group. Aesthetic Realism debunked. A former student explains the cult aspects of AR. Posted on Steve Hassan's Freedom of Mind website.

Aesthetic Realism at a Glance Name The Aesthetic Realism Foundation Founded 1941 Founder Eli Siegel, poet and art/literary critic. Committed suicide in 1978 Purpose To teach Siegel's philosophy of aesthetic realism. Philosophy The key to all social ills is for people to learn to like the world. Having contempt for the world leads to unhappiness and even insanity. (The slogan of their newsletter is "Contempt causes insanity".) Homosexuality is seen as a form of insanity caused by not liking the world sufficiently. Also teaches that "beauty is the making one of opposites". Location New York City (SoHo) Membership About 103 (35 teachers, 41 training to be teachers, and 27 regular students). Has failed to grow appreciably even after 70 years of existence, and is currently shrinking. Members call themselves "students". Advanced members who teach others are called "consultants". Method of study Public seminars/lectures at their headquarters (in lower Manhattan), group classes, and individual consultations (three consultants vs. one student). Cult aspects Fanatical devotion to their leader/founder Belief that they have the one true answer to universal happiness Ultimate purpose is to recruit new members Feeling that they are being persecuted Wild, paranoid reactions to criticism Non-communication (or at least very limited communication) with those who have left the group Odd, specialized language. More about cult aspects... Open offer to debate How do you decide which side is telling the truth? I think that would be the side willing to stand behind what he says. Since 2005 I've had an open offer to debate the Aesthetic Realists publicly in a formal format at any time to defend what I've said on this site, and to answer their own charges against me. But the AR people won't do it. Their excuse is, "He's not worth debating." But if that's true, then why did they put up a ninety-six page website to try to snipe at me and to try to rebut what I'm saying? I think the answer is that they're content to hide behind the cover of the Internet, but they know how bad they'd look in a live format where anyone actually got to ask any pointed questions. You know what's really funny? Someone went to one of their public presentations, said he'd seen this site, and asked about the cult allegations. The AR person said, "It's very easy to say crap like that on the Internet and never have to be challenged." Oh, the irony is killing me! Anyway, Aesthetic Realists, as for a public debate, I'm ready when you are. And to everyone else, when the AR people won't stand behind what they're saying, why should anyone take what they say seriously?

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Photo of Eli Siegel's gravestone from Find A Grave