I see a few folks have posted comments on my original post. Perhaps I should start a forum instead of just a blog, where we can talk about our experiences or those of our loved ones. Honestly I did not expect even this many replies, so soon.
If you attended one of these "retreats" or "camps", and you did not experience any abuse at the hands of those who ran them, then I am very happy for you. You were one of the lucky ones.
But if anyone has attended any of these, whether the one in Lunenburg, or any anywhere else, please post in the comments here and let's talk about it. We should connect and share our stories. Even if the camp you attended did not seem to be connected to anything involving Lunenburg, if the situation seems familiar to you, I encourage you to post here and share your story.
Together, we can help each other heal.
Yours in peace and harmony,
Starlight
My parents and I use to belong to the Lexington Soul Society. (If you are familiar with the "Bleach" anime, you might find that funny.) They were based out of Lexington Kentucky. I was four when my parents joined, and the first summer was actually pretty fun except for the wierd tricks they would play with us. We meditated and focused our energy on "creating our own reality", which is the usual old new age trope.
ReplyDeleteIt was sort of like a mix of Buddhism or Hinduism. But yeah, it was like they played with our heads sometimes, I think to see what we would do. I remember, it was wierd becuase I was four, but I do remember this part because they were all like "Your imaginations can create a whole new world," and they encouraged us to daydream basically.
I remember this one time they told us to think really hard about a toy we wanted and they said, "Imagine the toy you really want and imagine it's in this box." They had a box sitting on a table. And I really wanted the Gobot that was a truck (like the Gobot version of Optimus Prime). I don't remember what that Gobot's name was and I remember I thought really hard about it and then they said, "Look inside the box."
I don't remember telling them what toy I was thinking of, but I must have said it sometime when they were listening. It was like they got it and put it in the box, but before they did, they melted it and deformed it so it didn't quite look right. I felt really bad, because I felt like they had played a trick on me. But they said I did really good and they acted like they were really happy.
I don't know what the purpose of that was.
My parents said we went to spirit camp again next year when I was 5, but I don't remember that. And then we just stopped going. I think they just kind of disappeared.
I've Googled "Lexington Soul Society" but I can't find anything. Does my experience sound like it fits with what this blog is about? I guess I survived it. ( ^_^ )
Its abbreviation was "LSS", and I don't know if they really abused me, but their weird little experiments didn't seem normal to me.
Clifton, thank you for your comment! Yes, I do believe your story is connected to ours.
DeleteTell me, what years did you go to the camp?
Also, when they played the "imagine the toy in the box" game, was there ever anyone different who only showed up sometimes, like when you "did really good" or maybe a day or so after?
So I thought about it alot more, and I'm kind of disturbed by my lack of memories.
DeleteI was born in 1980, so when I was 4 it was 1984. My parents told me I went in 1985, but I don't remember it at all. Weird, since I was older and it was more recent (a year), but I have no recollection of it. (And, spirit camp is the only thing I remember from 1984, which is weird.)
As for new people (adults) showing up, I only ever did "really good" that one time, but I remember another boy in my special group did "really good" several times, and the third or forth time, an old guy with a cane they called "Mister Bill" came in and watched. Later on, I think they went somewhere together.
Ew, now that I think about it, he was really quiet after he went off with Mister Bill and came back.
Were these LSS people some kind of child molestation ring or something?! I really wish I could remember 1985. Then again, maybe I don't. (-_-)
Clifton, I don't think they were child molesters. At least not in the sense that you are thinking. If you could post your email address in a reply to me, I won't publish it. I would like to discuss this with you more in private.
DeleteHowever, if you are not comfortable with this, I understand.
Is Starlight your real name?
ReplyDeleteYes! My real given name is Starlight. It's not an alias. :-)
DeleteGirls and boys get names like Starlight and Stormcloud when their parents are hippies. (Yes, my brother's name was Stormcloud.)