The Power of a Cult: a review of Netflix’s Wild, Wild Country by Dr. Lloyd Sederer

Source: Netflix

There is an unceasing crescendo of suspense as we view this Netflix documentary about the cult that moved from India to central Oregon in 1981, led by the white-bearded Shree Rajneesh Bhagwan, with his piercing, unblinking eyes, a guru in rapture who is fervently out to change the consciousness of the world. He had fled India, where his cult had multiplied, when he faced millions of dollars in back taxes and no clear path to the vast, transformative change he meant to achieve. His ashram’s growth had stalled, and, besides, the really rich people were in the West.

Bhagwan’s utopian yet ultimately dysphoric vision — esteeming capitalism, flagrantly displaying his wealth with Rolls Royces, Lear jets and jewels, and his promotion of ending taboos on — did not go well for all involved. But that took some time, as this documentary so brilliantly depicts. We follow the cult’s story for about five years, from skyrocketing success to falling from grace and into the hands of the law. Yet, Bhagwan’s tale, and that of his ecstatic followers, is a timeless, epic tragedy, fit for a Greek Amphitheatre. What happened was all true, proving yet again that truth can be stranger, more bizarre and incredulous, than fiction.

The two principal players in this drama are Bhagwan and (Ma Anand) Sheela. Master and consigliere: Sheela became, over time, the ‘empress’ of his huge empire – a dangerous occupation, as we witness. She was his personal “Secretary” and became the unequivocal ruler of their land and enterprises. He alternately gave mystical “discourses” to huge assemblies of his faithful or took to silence, once for years. Sheela met with him daily, and became the channel for his words and ambition, clearly coming to cherish her role and her power. With an inestimable and growing fortune from guru members, they bought and built a huge ranch in Central Oregon, near the town of Antelope, to receive and house thousands of Rajneeshees, as the followers were known.

The commune likely engaged in bioterrorism, among other crimes, to sicken 750 townspeople with salmonella, thereby preventing them from voting so the Rajneeshees could take over the City Council, select their own mayor, and rename the town. They heavily armed themselves and trained their members on firing ranges, scaring even the authorities from visiting the compound, no less storming it when the time came for justice. They bused in thousands of homeless people from around the country, and allegedly spiked their beer with Haldol (an antipsychotic ) to control them; later they threw them out, dispersing formerly homeless people around the northwest.

To appreciate what happened means to not only appreciate the sway of a mystic and the mastery of an empress/CEO, but also to understand that the cult members were themselves fervently seeking deliverance from whatever was missing or psychically disrupting their lives. Their immersion into the Guru’s cult was absolute, giving their money and, if needed, their lives to him (and Sheela, who herself was early on deified). Guru and follower(s): it takes two to tango.

This saga, as well, has its palace coup. Bhagwan welcomed the “Hollywood” group into his commune and his inner circle, led by the fabulously wealthy producer of the Godfather films and her physician husband. Sheela’s star soon began to fade after their arrival, yet she remained faithful until she discovered what she believed to be a plot by the newcomers to kill the Guru (with his assent). She tries to save Bhagwan’s life - including concocting a plot to kill the doctor, which does not succeed. Her rule is over, and she is banished, taking off with a small group of her followers to Germany.

Then the vise of justice starts to close in. The FBI, other federal agencies, the state Attorney General, and local and state law enforcement descend upon Bhagwan and his devotees. Allegations include immigration fraud, attempted murder, assault, and bioterrorism. The Rajneeshees were not just growing carrots on the ranch. Rajneesh flees from the compound on this Lear jets, and a chase that rivals that of OJ ensues. Together with German authorities, Sheela is arrested abroad. They both ultimately go to trial in Portland, Oregon, bringing their alleged felonies back home, full circle. Law enforcement wins, the town regains its former name and community, but nothing is the same, such was the impact of the battle with the cult, victory notwithstanding.

, who studied mysticism, said: The man who promises everything is sure to fulfill nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of using evil means in order to carry out his promises, and is already on the road to perdition.

In six Netflix episodes, created by Maclain Way and Chapman May, each about an hour, we view extraordinary footage from the 80’s, the commune, its leaders and the thousands who went on their magical, mystery tour. Some formerly Rajneeshee leaders, town, government and law enforcement figures, who are still living, narrate this extraordinary history, each of them as diverse and different as you can imagine, sitting at their contemporary desks, cabins and in armchairs. We observe the rise and fall of power, the erosion of one community and the creation of another, the wheels of justice finally meshing, and the fates of those who purported to deliver enlightenment.

Yet, it is Sheela in the last scene of the sixth episode, free and comfortably living somewhere, who has the last word. In her signature, pedantic, righteous and arrogant manner she declares victory, with “no regrets” – and then says “we all need a drink”. That was how I felt after seeing - and believing – the chilling tale of what happened in Oregon over thirty years ago.

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Dr. Lloyd Sederer is a psychiatrist, public health doctor, and medical journalist. The opinions written here are entirely his own.

His new book is The Solution: Treating Our Dependence on and Other Drugs (Scribner, 2018).