12 ... Gabriel MorrisHe then proceeded to share the story of his mother, who had been
involved with the community a few years earlier. She had been a
devoted follower, along with her boyfriend at the time, when she un-
expectedly became pregnant. But the leaders—who, in some cases,
took steps to dissolve couples of which they did not approve—de-
cided that she was no longer fit to be a part of their community.
But for some reason, they wanted her boyfriend to stay. They
convinced him to disassociate from her, despite the pregnancy, and
continue on as an involved member of the community. She was then
banned from attending their services and from the community as a
whole, even though she had been a devoted follower and wished to
remain so, and was left to deliver and care for the child alone.
This story sent shivers down my spine, and resolved the uncer-
tainty I’d had about trusting my perceptions and gut feelings. This
community definitely wasn’t the place for me, if there was even a
grain of truth to his account. It also left me feeling betrayed, disil-
lusioned, and saddened, that such manipulation could disguise itself
as spiritual truth.
I had a brief desire to let the other people in the community know
that they were being led down the wrong path. But I quickly decided
to let it go and simply end my contact with them. If there was any
belief I wholeheartedly held dear, it was that of individual free will.
It wasn’t for me to decide another’s journey. They were free to learn
their own lessons. Meanwhile, I was extremely grateful to still have
my cherished freedom, to make my own decisions, think my own
thoughts, and choose my own destiny.
When we dropped our hitchhiker off in town, I thanked him for
sharing the private but well-timed information. Later, after checking
out the Aquarian Concepts website and one of their books in a local
bookstore, I discovered why I’d had an intuitive reaction against their
teachings: their spiritual approach was in many ways the exact op-
posite of my own. The core of their spiritual practice was the denial
of the lower self. This they stated plainly and frequently. Their basic
belief was that ascension meant rising above and leaving behind the