Breaking the Spell ~ my life as a Rajneeshee, and the long journey back to freedom by Jane Stork

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Breaking the Spell is Jane Stork's extraordinary life story. Equally moving + disturbing, it chronicles the rise + fall of the religion Rajneeshism + the Rolls Royce guru, + Jane's part in the events that led to its collapse.

Growing up in post-war Western Australia, Jane Stork had a conventional Catholic upbringing, + married her university sweetheart at age 21. Embarking on the familiar path of marriage + raising children, Jane's semblance of a normal life began to unravel as she entered her thirties. She sought answers at a meditation center, and quickly became devoted to the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, changing her name, adopting the orange robes of a sannyasin, and uprooting her family to live first in an ashram in India and then in the Bhagwan-created city of Rajneeshpuram in Oregon, USA.

For Jane, what started out as a journey seeking spiritual enlightenment began to descend into darkness as she sacrificed her marriage + children, + eventually - through a monstrous act of attempted murder - her freedom. After serving time in the US, Jane started a new life in Germany, but soon realised she could never truly be free until she had faced up to the past. With an international arrest warrant hanging over her head, and a son who is gravely ill, Jane finally does so with devastating clarity.

Stork's account is both moving + disturbing, + makes for compelling reading. ... stories like these need to be told, if only to provide an antidote to those who legitimize guru-abuse on dubious spiritual grounds, or as some kind of "crazy wisdom" beyond ordinary morality + convention ... (The Humanist, November / December 2009)

Disturbing, illuminating and ultimately moving, this book is a cautionary tale about extremism in any form. - Highly recommended. (South Coast Register, 15 July 2009)

"Pick of the Week" ... a compelling and unswervingly honest story ... The power of this book lies in the simple honesty and directness of Stork's account and the sheer ordinariness of her life until she became ensnared in the machinations of this cult. (The Sydney Morning Herald, 4-5 July 2009)

Jane's incredible story is well worth reading, beautifully written, and deeply touching at times. (Tarrangower Times, 12 June 2009)

A well written account of a fascinating life. (The Examiner, 23 May 2009)

This book is not just the story of another person's spiritual journey, it is a study of how ordinary people, given the right circumstances, can be manipulated into becoming a devotee of a cult. ... - An excellent book! (Australian Bookseller + Publisher, April 2009)

This was one of the best accounts of someones personal journey into the complex world of Rajneesh that I have read. As an autobiography it stands alone even if one has no interest or connection to Rajneesh and I highly recommend this book. (An anonymous reader on amazon-uk)