[page last updated: August, 2017]
The Desteni group first appeared online 2007-08 with its website, Desteni Universe and YouTube channel, 'Desteni Productions'. At present, it has several different websites, YouTube channels and Facebook groups, but its two main sites are desteni.org and eqafe.com.
Desteni is primarily focused on talks given by Sunette Spies, a South African woman aged around 30 who calls herself 'the Interdimensional Portal' and claims that she can 'portal' (or 'channel') dead people, animals, demons, reptilian overlords and other entities or things.
The group was founded by Bernard Poolman whose stories about meeting Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler in the afterlife, helping hordes of demons forgive themselves, 'the opening of the Portal' being the single most important 'event' in human history, and his fake political concept, the Equal Money System, are the basis for Desteni's crude and convoluted ideas, beliefs and practices. Poolman died in 2013.
At any given time there have never been more than 100 members of Desteni or 'Destonians' world-wide. The core group of about 10-20 people resides on a farm near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The members believe the world 'accepts and allows' misery, abuse and evil because 'the mind' has been pre-programmed by interdimensional reptilian aliens who created human beings as slaves. They are of the view that 'the self' can only be 'self-realised' by means of 'self-forgiveness' and the 'Desteni I Process' online courses in 'self-mastery'.
Desteni's ideas about 'exploring equality and oneness' are derived from the works of David Icke, occultism, self-help psychology, Spiritualism, and New Age spirituality, but the group states that it is not spiritual or religious, and regards spirituality as deception.
The reason for the name, 'Desteni', and its spelling has never yet been explained, but the group has used and continues to use numerous other names. These include: Equal Life Foundation, Democracy Against War Now (DAWN), TechnoTutor, 7 Year Journey to Life, Self & Living, Quantum Change Kinesiology, School for Ultimate Living, Get Real With Cerise and Joe, Equal Money System, Equal Money Capitalism, Earth Haven, Basic Income Guaranteed, Living Income Guaranteed.
Desteni has attempted to represent itself as a political movement with the Equal Money System and the Living Income Guaranteed, but both projects have been discontinued. The group has also tried to appear as if it is a human rights organisation with its so-called 'non-profit' company, the Equal Life Foundation (ELF).
The ELF / Desteni has never been involved in political activities or in any campaign for human rights. The ELF exists simply to manage finances of the various online businesses run from the Desteni Farm.
Desteni is not on Wikipedia. The group has never held talks, meetings or events at any public venue except the internet.
In ten years, Desteni has only ever been recognised outside the group as a joke, a scam or a cult.
Rick Alan Ross, the internationally known expert on destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, author of Cults Inside Out, and Executive Director of the Cult Education Institute, wrote:
'In my opinion Desteni seems to fit within the category of a "cult-like" authoritarian group, which uses thought reform techniques. I would not recommend Desteni to anyone for anything and see it as potentially unsafe.'
See the Desteni thread at the Cult Education Forum, which has over 100 pages from 2008-2013. Also, Desteni Discussions.
This article is a detailed summary of the online public activities of Desteni, 2007-2017.
Bernard Poolman: the Beast
Bernard Poolman was the founder of Desteni and its main driving force from before 2007 and until Sunday 11 August 2013, when he died aged around 50. There was the indication that he had been ill for some time and the cause of death was heart failure.
The current desteni.org website which was revamped in 2017 features a 'Historical Timeline' that omits to mention Poolman's name, but tributes to him by the Desteni members portray him as a hero, a saint, a Christ or Buddha-like non-individual with no ego, and father-figure who did all he could to 'support all life'.
According to a 2011 article in the now defunct Sondag newspaper, Poolman was born in Okahandja, Namibia. Little is known of his background except that he claimed he had been a policeman and a New Ager, his father-in-law was a deep trance medium, and his drug of choice was MDMA.
Prior to forming Desteni he ran a company called PowerEducation by MindTechnology which was reported by Vice magazine in 2015 as having sold 'educational software' at extortionate prices.
Poolman referred to himself as 'the Beast'. He and other Desteni members were often made fun of in YouTube videos. Here is one from 2012 on the Desteni agenda which is a send-up of the videos produced by Desteni at the time, with clips from actual speeches given by Poolman and Sunette Spies:
Introduction
The Desteni group first appeared online 2007-08 with its website, Desteni Universe and YouTube channel, 'Desteni Productions'. At present, it has several different websites, YouTube channels and Facebook groups, but its two main sites are desteni.org and eqafe.com.
Desteni is primarily focused on talks given by Sunette Spies, a South African woman aged around 30 who calls herself 'the Interdimensional Portal' and claims that she can 'portal' (or 'channel') dead people, animals, demons, reptilian overlords and other entities or things.
The group was founded by Bernard Poolman whose stories about meeting Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler in the afterlife, helping hordes of demons forgive themselves, 'the opening of the Portal' being the single most important 'event' in human history, and his fake political concept, the Equal Money System, are the basis for Desteni's crude and convoluted ideas, beliefs and practices. Poolman died in 2013.
At any given time there have never been more than 100 members of Desteni or 'Destonians' world-wide. The core group of about 10-20 people resides on a farm near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The members believe the world 'accepts and allows' misery, abuse and evil because 'the mind' has been pre-programmed by interdimensional reptilian aliens who created human beings as slaves. They are of the view that 'the self' can only be 'self-realised' by means of 'self-forgiveness' and the 'Desteni I Process' online courses in 'self-mastery'.
Desteni's ideas about 'exploring equality and oneness' are derived from the works of David Icke, occultism, self-help psychology, Spiritualism, and New Age spirituality, but the group states that it is not spiritual or religious, and regards spirituality as deception.
The reason for the name, 'Desteni', and its spelling has never yet been explained, but the group has used and continues to use numerous other names. These include: Equal Life Foundation, Democracy Against War Now (DAWN), TechnoTutor, 7 Year Journey to Life, Self & Living, Quantum Change Kinesiology, School for Ultimate Living, Get Real With Cerise and Joe, Equal Money System, Equal Money Capitalism, Earth Haven, Basic Income Guaranteed, Living Income Guaranteed.
Desteni has attempted to represent itself as a political movement with the Equal Money System and the Living Income Guaranteed, but both projects have been discontinued. The group has also tried to appear as if it is a human rights organisation with its so-called 'non-profit' company, the Equal Life Foundation (ELF).
The ELF / Desteni has never been involved in political activities or in any campaign for human rights. The ELF exists simply to manage finances of the various online businesses run from the Desteni Farm.
Desteni is not on Wikipedia. The group has never held talks, meetings or events at any public venue except the internet.
In ten years, Desteni has only ever been recognised outside the group as a joke, a scam or a cult.
Rick Alan Ross, the internationally known expert on destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, author of Cults Inside Out, and Executive Director of the Cult Education Institute, wrote:
'In my opinion Desteni seems to fit within the category of a "cult-like" authoritarian group, which uses thought reform techniques. I would not recommend Desteni to anyone for anything and see it as potentially unsafe.'
See the Desteni thread at the Cult Education Forum, which has over 100 pages from 2008-2013. Also, Desteni Discussions.
This article is a detailed summary of the online public activities of Desteni, 2007-2017.
Bernard Poolman: the Beast
 |
| Bernard Poolman: 'the Beast' - art by Andrew Gable |
Bernard Poolman was the founder of Desteni and its main driving force from before 2007 and until Sunday 11 August 2013, when he died aged around 50. There was the indication that he had been ill for some time and the cause of death was heart failure.
The current desteni.org website which was revamped in 2017 features a 'Historical Timeline' that omits to mention Poolman's name, but tributes to him by the Desteni members portray him as a hero, a saint, a Christ or Buddha-like non-individual with no ego, and father-figure who did all he could to 'support all life'.
According to a 2011 article in the now defunct Sondag newspaper, Poolman was born in Okahandja, Namibia. Little is known of his background except that he claimed he had been a policeman and a New Ager, his father-in-law was a deep trance medium, and his drug of choice was MDMA.
Prior to forming Desteni he ran a company called PowerEducation by MindTechnology which was reported by Vice magazine in 2015 as having sold 'educational software' at extortionate prices.
Poolman referred to himself as 'the Beast'. He and other Desteni members were often made fun of in YouTube videos. Here is one from 2012 on the Desteni agenda which is a send-up of the videos produced by Desteni at the time, with clips from actual speeches given by Poolman and Sunette Spies:
Poolman claimed to have been 'enlightened' but 'Found, under the Veneer of Enlightenment, Alchemy and Love and Light – the Greatest Evil'.
Transcripts of his bizarre rants feature in the blog, Creation's Journey to Life, in which he talks to a fetus, says Parents Create Hate, recommends Candy Crush Saga, makes random attacks on atheists, charity workers, political activists and so on.
The main point Poolman emphasised repeatedly was the Equal Money System, which he claimed would become established as a world-wide political force to be reckoned with by 2020, but was abandoned in 2013 after it was exposed at Quora.com as a scam run by a cult.
Poolman claimed he had a degree in law, but made empty legal threats against his critics at the Cult Education Forum, and false allegations that they were cyberbullies linked to suicides, none of which he followed up.
In Is God a Reptilian, Poolman said: 'It is also Worthwhile Studying the work of David Icke. His Research is Meticulous in terms of the Global Problem', but that 'he was just an Pawn in the Hands of these Reptilians'. Conspiracy theorist, David Icke, has never made any public statement about Poolman or Desteni, and his supporters do not support Desteni.
Poolman also said that religious
people belong to suicide cults, the human should be
eradicated at all costs, teeth
represent a crown of thorns, mass movements are controlled by
ectoplasm,
Adolf Hitler
should be forgiven, pornography, prostitution and child rape are
caused by masturbation or 'the family', elite 'rulers of the world' control events at the
behest of Anu, a reptilian god, that Everything
that you are as a Human: can be Traced back to a Reptilian God and Desteni is 'the message of Jesus', which is atheism.
One of Poolman’s favourite mystics was Osho (1931-1990). After receiving a copyright complaint from Osho International, Desteni had to stop using Osho's name, and videos of Sunette Spies trying to speak for him from beyond the grave had to be removed.
10 chapters from a book written by Poolman entitled 'I Am Hitler' were featured at the Desteni website from 2007 until the group self-censored the content in 2011 (archived at the Wayback Machine). In the book Hitler was portrayed as an all-powerful super-demon who, thanks to Poolman, had become a shining example of 'self-forgiveness' in the afterlife.
Sunette Spies still 'portals' Hitler, referring to him by the nickname given to him by Poolman: 'MyKey'.
One of Poolman’s favourite mystics was Osho (1931-1990). After receiving a copyright complaint from Osho International, Desteni had to stop using Osho's name, and videos of Sunette Spies trying to speak for him from beyond the grave had to be removed.
10 chapters from a book written by Poolman entitled 'I Am Hitler' were featured at the Desteni website from 2007 until the group self-censored the content in 2011 (archived at the Wayback Machine). In the book Hitler was portrayed as an all-powerful super-demon who, thanks to Poolman, had become a shining example of 'self-forgiveness' in the afterlife.
Sunette Spies still 'portals' Hitler, referring to him by the nickname given to him by Poolman: 'MyKey'.
Sunette Spies: the Fake from Eqafe
Desteni is inspired by the deranged, misanthropic pronouncements of Poolman, but more particularly the woman he admitted served as his mouthpiece: Sunette Spies.
During his life Poolman only appeared in videos represented by a still image or in cartoon form as 'the Beast', but Sunette Spies has appeared talking to camera in literally tens of thousands of online videos.
According to the official story, Poolman and his partner, Esteni De Wet, met Spies when she was in her late teens, circa 2004, as she was working in a café not long after the death of her mother. They took her to live with them at the Desteni Farm and eventually gave her the role of front-woman for the small group gathered around Poolman, which included his son and daughter.
Launching Desteni on YouTube in 2007, Spies initially got attention for herself as 'the Portal' by 'channeling' Adolf Hitler, other famous people such as Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee and Freddie Mercury, and inanimate objects such as a piece of toilet paper.
Spies claims she has a 'Portal Placement' 'in and as' her body
which was put there by Poolman. She says she's 'been exposed to more than any other human on this earth when it comes to the physical realm and the interdimensional, hereafter, heavenly realms'.
Poolman described 'the Portal' as 'Possibly the Greatest Miracle Ever on Earth'.
Desteni.org states that 'the Portal' is 'the first communication channel in the history of human civilization to have direct, unlimited, and immediate access to anything and everything in existence'.
In ten years, Spies has only ever appeared as 'the Portal' on Desteni-run websites where she has never been seen or heard interacting with anyone who is not a member of the group.
She is not known to have had a job other than waitressing or to have lived anywhere but the Desteni Farm in South Africa for most of her adult life. She has never been on TV or radio and never had a book published.
In 2015, an article on Desteni was written for Vice magazine. This was after Spies had turned down the journalist's requests to visit the Desteni Farm and refused to be interviewed.
She has YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter sites, blogs such as Practical Desteni, Heaven's Journey to Life, Is There Life After Death?, and Animals Talking to Me. Currently, her main outlet is eqafe.com, Desteni's 'online store'.
The group has given no indication of what the made-up word, 'Eqafe' (pronounced 'eek-waff') is supposed to represent. The site sells mostly 15-20 minute recordings of Spies' talks at around €5.99 each.
'Your Own Unique Interview' in private with 'the Portal' can be purchased via Eqafe for €99, or a public 'interview' can be bought for €49 and sold to other customers at €5.99 each. For €300 she will draw a picture to 'symbolise who you are in your life, and how you can support yourself to be and become the best possible version of yourself'. A Desteni subscriber displays one of these drawings in a video.
'The Portal''s talks and writings are comprised of make-believe stories and flights of fancy, meaningless catch phrases, pseudopsychology, pseudohistory, and sheer drivel. They are a confused mishmash of poorly conceived re-interpretations of New Age spirituality, occultism, conspiracy theories and pop psychology, as well as quackery such as applied kinesiology.
She tries to appear as an expert on numerous subjects, and offers for sale 'information and support' for all manner of 'psychological and physical disorders', including alcohol and drug addictions, Down's Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, depression, chronic pain, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Multiple Sclerosis, schizophrenia, terminal illnesses, etc.
Spies cannot provide any reliable information on such matters because she does not have the relevant training or experience, does not have a license to work as a medical health professional, psychologist, social worker or counselor, and is not even an accredited 'alternative health' practitioner.
The 'Interdimensional Portal' is what's known in sales marketing as an idiot test.
Aside from pretending to be 'the Portal', Spies also tries to recruit for Desteni by posing as a bland self-help guru with School of Ultimate Living and Self & Living.
She does not have the background or experience to teach self-help or anything else. She has no qualification in teaching or therapy, no academic degree, no proven expertise in professional business training or personal development, and has never held meetings, seminars or workshops at public venues anywhere.
Poolman described 'the Portal' as 'Possibly the Greatest Miracle Ever on Earth'.
Desteni.org states that 'the Portal' is 'the first communication channel in the history of human civilization to have direct, unlimited, and immediate access to anything and everything in existence'.
In ten years, Spies has only ever appeared as 'the Portal' on Desteni-run websites where she has never been seen or heard interacting with anyone who is not a member of the group.
She is not known to have had a job other than waitressing or to have lived anywhere but the Desteni Farm in South Africa for most of her adult life. She has never been on TV or radio and never had a book published.
In 2015, an article on Desteni was written for Vice magazine. This was after Spies had turned down the journalist's requests to visit the Desteni Farm and refused to be interviewed.
She has YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter sites, blogs such as Practical Desteni, Heaven's Journey to Life, Is There Life After Death?, and Animals Talking to Me. Currently, her main outlet is eqafe.com, Desteni's 'online store'.
The group has given no indication of what the made-up word, 'Eqafe' (pronounced 'eek-waff') is supposed to represent. The site sells mostly 15-20 minute recordings of Spies' talks at around €5.99 each.
'Your Own Unique Interview' in private with 'the Portal' can be purchased via Eqafe for €99, or a public 'interview' can be bought for €49 and sold to other customers at €5.99 each. For €300 she will draw a picture to 'symbolise who you are in your life, and how you can support yourself to be and become the best possible version of yourself'. A Desteni subscriber displays one of these drawings in a video.
'The Portal''s talks and writings are comprised of make-believe stories and flights of fancy, meaningless catch phrases, pseudopsychology, pseudohistory, and sheer drivel. They are a confused mishmash of poorly conceived re-interpretations of New Age spirituality, occultism, conspiracy theories and pop psychology, as well as quackery such as applied kinesiology.
She tries to appear as an expert on numerous subjects, and offers for sale 'information and support' for all manner of 'psychological and physical disorders', including alcohol and drug addictions, Down's Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, depression, chronic pain, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Multiple Sclerosis, schizophrenia, terminal illnesses, etc.
Spies cannot provide any reliable information on such matters because she does not have the relevant training or experience, does not have a license to work as a medical health professional, psychologist, social worker or counselor, and is not even an accredited 'alternative health' practitioner.
The 'Interdimensional Portal' is what's known in sales marketing as an idiot test.
Aside from pretending to be 'the Portal', Spies also tries to recruit for Desteni by posing as a bland self-help guru with School of Ultimate Living and Self & Living.
She does not have the background or experience to teach self-help or anything else. She has no qualification in teaching or therapy, no academic degree, no proven expertise in professional business training or personal development, and has never held meetings, seminars or workshops at public venues anywhere.
The few ideas Sunette Spies sometimes comes out with that are not complete bullshit are either statements of the obvious or amount to the same kind of platitudes that can already be found in a bog-standard self-help book or website at little or no cost.
The Destonians: Guardians of the Desteni Universe
 |
| Some Destonians sporting 'Guardians of the Universe' Equalitee shirts |
People who subscribe to the information published by the Desteni group of South Africa call themselves 'Destonians'. Why the word is not spelled 'Destenians' has never been explained.
As shown at Desteni Radio, almost all Destonians are ex-conspiracy theorist New Agers. They are apparently training to become leaders at the Desteni leadership forum.
They often use repetitive buzzwords and obscure jargon, such as 'Best for All', 'walking the point', 'standing up in Oneness and Equality as breath as me', 'have a look', 'fascinating', 'I am 1 vote for World Equality', 'self-forgiveness', 'applying the tools', 'all as one as equal as life', 'the equality equation', 'the polarities', 'I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to...', etc.
Destonians' practices include listening to endless talks by Sunette Spies and Bernard Poolman, training in how to conduct themselves in sexual relationships, breath awareness, a four-count breathing exercise, drinking Hydrogen Peroxide, sleeping only 4-6 hours a night, trying to 're-define' words according to how they sound like other words, and buying working holidays at the Desteni Farm.
They continually make confessions and affirmations of self-forgiveness and write out details of their personal lives in blogs which are used as advertisments for Desteni products and courses.
Despite claiming that they support equality, Destonians do nothing for equality.
They are on record as making statements such as that everyone is homosexual, eugenics is best for all, the Holocaust never happened, a mother should not emotionally bond with her child, pornography, alcohol and psychiatry should be banned, Jewish people are evil, and everyone should be microchipped.
They are opposed to privacy and say everyone should have their data mined and exposed. They adhere to fictional versions of human history and falsely assert that Desteni can help treat or cure phobias, alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, mental illness etc.
Destonians have complained of being persecuted by critics, who they have accused of 'hate speech'. They have issued numerous copyright violation notices against YouTube channels with videos ridiculing them, but backed down when challenged.
In their Anti-Hate videos and customer testimonial Witness Blogs, the Destonians list their beliefs and group-related activities as if to prove Desteni is not a scam or a cult. They refer to unremarkable changes in their lives, like gaining confidence or giving up porn or weed, as if they could never have taken place without Desteni.
The Process of Desteni
 |
| PowereDucation (click for large image) |
Prospective recruits are told that Desteni is pioneering a 'science of the mind' and will 'support' them to 'stop the mind' and give them superhuman powers as long as they 'apply the Desteni tools'.
The 'Desteni tools' are versions of common practices that are available to anyone for free, such as breath awareness, self-forgiveness or writing a journal. 'The tools' are misrepresented as if they are owned by or unique to Desteni so that the target audience can be led to identify the perceived advantages as due to 'walking the Desteni process'.
Originally inspired by Bernard Poolman's rants, the 'Desteni process' is a closed system that operates as a sales scheme based around the fantasy that Desteni and 'the Portal' have the answers to all of life's 'existential questions'.
The 'Desteni process' and its doctrine of 'self-change' is designed to convince people that if they call themselves 'Destonians', and subscribe to Spies' Eqafe talks (€150 per month) and Desteni I Process 'courses' (€25-€400 per month), act as affiliate marketers and recruiters, make promotional blogs and videos, and buy working holidays at the Desteni Farm, then they are taking 'self-responsibility' and 'creating a world that is best for all life'.
The Desteni I Process (DIP) was originally called the 'Desteni Income Plan' and developed out of Poolman's previous software business, PowerEducation, which in turn became the Desteni Vocabulary Purifier and Techno Tutor, an 'educational software' programme marketed to followers of scam artist and convicted criminal, Kevin Trudeau, through the Global Information Network.
The Desteni group disconnected from the TechnoTutor company circa 2015 but the DIP continues.
The DIP Pro involves lessons in 'living words', 'Mind Constructs' and pseudo-scientific instructions on 'Structural Resonance Alignment' and how people can free themselves from what Destonians see as the 'pre-programmed' slavery of 'thoughts, feelings and emotions'. Destonians receive in depth personal instruction through the hierarchical 'buddy system' of the DIP.
Desteni has always claimed to be opposed to charity yet always solicited charitable donations, and members regularly ask for donations by various means, including for the Desteni Farm and an Earth Haven, and through offering 'support' for how to Get Real With Cerise and Joe. See also: Equal Life Foundation: NPO for Equal Rights -- or Money & Food for Destonians?.
The Desteni Equal Life Foundation company's 'Bill of Rights' was written by Ken Cousens (aka Kenneth Scott), a former Destonian. As well as being a member of Desteni for 7 years, Cousens was involved for many years in the crackpot Sovereign Citizen Movement, which is over-run by scam artists and the FBI regards as terrorism. Desteni parted company with Cousens and his Gemstone University company circa 2016.
In 2013, Destonians ripped off the Basic Income Guarantee campaign. The Living Income Guaranteed (LIG) was a nonsensical and fake political 'proposal' by Desteni which began in 2013 and was abandoned by 2016. It was never proposed to any political or economic groups, legislators, universities or to the mainstream or alternative media. See the article, You can also abuse the term Basic Income for personal gain by #EMS #ELF #destini.
Like the group's previous Equal Money System (EMS), which lasted from around 2008-2013, the LIG was a recruitment device and a gimmick to solicit donations. The EMS is omitted from the 'Historical Timeline' at the current Desteni website, yet, apart from 'the Portal', the group established its reputation on YouTube largely due to its fanatical promotion of the EMS, gaining a name for itself as 'the Equal Money Cult'.
Cults have been using YouTube for recruitment for years, and Desteni was one of the first to do so, but YouTube deleted Desteni channels, DesteniProductions and BernardPoolman in August 2011, removing thousands of videos in the process. This was because of Desteni's relentless spamming to promote its income plan as a form of Multi-Level Marketing, as well as its pro-Hitler content. Desteni migrated to Vimeo and promptly had its channel deleted from there as well.
Many of the early videos have been re-uploaded, and Desteni members are still active on YouTube, although less so than before. Currently, Sunette Spies' 'portalling' talks are mostly only available for sale from Eqafe, and the group appears to try to recruit mainly via Facebook.
[Please note: any links on this blog to the desteni.co.za forum no longer work. They made their main forum available to practising Destonians only in July 2011 without giving any reason, and started a new one, the Introduction to Desteni forum. Links to YouTube videos from DesteniProductions and BernardPoolman also no longer work due to termination of these accounts by YT, August 2011]
42 comments:
I assume it's called Desteni because prior to Poolmans involvement the farm was known as Desteni Farm, where, best to my knowledge, no clearly defined reason for the farm existed - other than caring for horses and "getting to know yourself through caring for horses". Desteni derived from Esteni, and once again to best of my knowledge, Esteni was the original owner of the farm.
As far as I know the real name of the Desteni Farm or Ranch is 'Mountain View' and members of the group rent it from a private owner. Maybe it was called the 'Desteni' Ranch as a play on words while it was run by Esteni De Wet but why this name should then be applied to the group world-wide has never been explained.
It could be that Esteni has had far more influence over the development of the group than has ever been made public and that in naming the group Desteni Poolman intended to pay her tribute. Otherwise, why not just call it 'Destiny', as in 'the destiny of the world'?
Poolman is/was a twisted puppet master...
This is an inaccurate and twisted assessment of Desteni and therefore should be taken down.
In what way is the article inaccurate or twisted?
Thank you for this blog. I think it's good that people have the opportunity to receive an external objective account of all the claims, beliefs and practices of this group. There might be confused individuals who have somewhat lost their ability to rationally discern and decide for themselves, thus this blog is a useful and plausible route to clarifying oneself. Cults feed off people's psychological insecurities and confuse taking advantage of many people's willingness to contribute to a better world. Some of us as human beings, are so desperate to answer the ancient burning philosophical questions: who are we, why do we exist, what is the purpose of life, that, will buy into any explanations which are offered and seem plausible to them. I know this from personal experience.
So again thank you for your time and dedication and ironic touch (is always good to laugh these things off at one point and not take them too seriously) in writing this blog. This is not a twisted assessment, and it is pretty accurate.
Re: the previous comment – Thanks, glad to hear you have found the blog useful.
Thank you for this blog. Unfortunately this freaks are making their videos with that bald girl in spanish.
But, Why are this people expanding theirselves over Internet? Does people are bored about using their minds and philosophizing without new-age/oriental shit?
Can anyone carry me to 17th century when all people used to think?
Poolman's Twitter account is also still in use, which makes it look like he's still alive.
https://twitter.com/BernardPoolman
No offense but who ever wrote this blog is a real motherf@cker. .. and to get the point of where the word MotherFucker is coming from, you´re going to have to listen to this whole Explanation:
Part1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiBjYkqczZw
Part2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTM-Wmd614
Part3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIZtf38VstA
Sadly very few people understand Bernard Poolman.
Those talks are perfectly understandable: they are Poolman doing his amateur guru act. Fortunately, only a very few people were ever fooled by it. He would just drone on like some late-night,clapped out bar-room philosopher who'd lost the plot.
If you want to know how the professionals do it, have a look at a video one of Poolman's inspirations: Osho Rajneesh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiwtn84cfdc
Not that we're recommending Osho Rajneesh, by the way.
Does anyone know where the exact location of the "desteni farm" is? I would love to look it up on google earth, it could be interesting to see the satelite photos from recent years to know how the farm developed over the recent years. I think Bernard wanted to sell it after his followers had worked on it for free building new things etc. (or he really wanted to own a farm but couldn´t do all the work or didn´t want to do it alone so he made up all that desteni stuff.
Unlike legitimate non-profit organisations, Desteni / Equal Life Foundation does not give its exact physical location, or publish a postal address or give a phone number.
We do not know the precise location of the Desteni farm in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, but with a bit of research it could probably be found.
As far as we know, it is quite a small property which houses up to 30 people and is rented from a private landlord. There has been only some limited development of the property. Circa 2010 there was a whip round amongst Destonians to raise funds for a second farm, but it was never purchased.
what seems even worse than "culty" is to propagate intolerance towards Desteni (or anyone, group whatever)... who cares how or what they do... if they're not doing anything illegal leave them tf alone. go do something to help someone out of their problems. you're not helping anyone by spreading disinformation and defaming these people. we need more individual groups and communities like this all around the globe more than ever before it's too late as everybody is becoming the same homogenized nazi tron, finger pointing - blame robot... is that the world you want to live in... not me. There are NO absolute answers that never change over time, any and all answers of relevance will yield to growth thru its relevance and thus change our perceptions and beliefs of our past otherwise its useless. This doesn't make us once wrong about everything or even the subjects once in question, it means we're growing and understand better because of our past views. Strange and scary it is how in "modern society", "fighting Racism" and "proactive progressivism" and "liberalism" have more political and financial resources and mobility than ever in history,.. yet Prejudice of these kinds ride the very same currents of mobilities and can have the affect of gassing innocent whole families and watching them incinerate at the hands of an intolerant biased occupation of a government delivered thru false satiation of convenience and watched by millions on live on mainstream TV news. Waco, no excuse.
@scuzzbucket:
Obviously, this blog is about Desteni, not Waco or the Branch Davidians, or some general discussion of various problems in society, politics or the media.
It has already been pointed out in detail here and at the Cult Education Forum that the Desteni group / Equal Life Foundation may well be operating illegally.
Critical analysis of the activities and ideas of a group is not the same as 'propagating intolerance' but is merely a discussion which expresses points of view that happen to be different from how the group portrays itself.
It is already recommended here that readers consult other sources of information, including desteni.org, before arriving at conclusions. This blog helps propagate a rational assessment. It has nothing to do with prejudice but is about understanding the facts.
If you want to comment and go as far as to say that a blog such as this contains disinformation and statements that are defamatory then it will only be helpful if you give clear reasons and evidence.
oh ok, so you're motives are all pure & just, and expressed as a public service to anyone seeking info on the group to balance a clear understanding about it... i get it now. but why this group?? Gathering your own group people on any level classified with a commonality of dislike or disapproval towards another "group" or people when they've done nothing wrong and purely on the basis of disagreeing with their public relations approach seems to me a little like the start of a “hate group” (not an assertion on my part but merely pointing out an possible optional interpretation) and about your assertion that It has been pointed out "in detail" here and and other sources that the Desteni group / Equal Life Foundation "MAY BE operating illegally" that's pretty much most organizations of any kind.. like when a fire martial inspection requires a fix-it citation because the doorstops are no longer in compliance with current building safety codes. that's why we have laws, to be told when we are not marketing something the right or the proper way, or haven’t obtained the right certification for something etc etc ...all enterprises violate little laws all the time some times they're caught and other times not, the IRS in the USA have the legal right to charge any and all citizens of the USA business enterprises, cults, religions, non profit orgs etc etc... for breaking tax laws they never even knew YOU were "breaking" so if the "Desteni Cult" is in violation of certain regional codes and/or improper property maintenance... it's normal and reflects nothing but normalcy in any organization, so another way of saying what you said having to do with “illegal” would be to say …they’re Not doing anything illegal because as much as “they may be” they also “May Not be breaking any laws, right? (only reason to mention a nonissue in that way IS to propagate a bias with the sleight of words)
Aren't there many other groups out there to blog about that could/are actually doing real harm in the world to innocent people... like groups, ideologies and/or movements of people that are actually engaged presently in the killing of other humans for political gains and/or religious reasons?? as far as i know Desteni might be a little on the goofy side but they're not trafficking drugs or people or killing anyone or taking over land's that don't belong to them... the only thing i see "wrong" with them is that they're a little ostentatious and very vulnerable to criticism and the spread of disinformation about who and what they truly are about... you might want to include an preface in here that many people have found them to be helpful and have found happiness from their participation with Desteni. not accusing you or anyone of hating or defaming anyone but it seems like this is how hate groups can start that eventually lead to things like what happened to Branch Dividians in Waco (hence my mention of “Waco” in my og comment) which eventually flourish into a full scale annihilation of people for what? ..what i don’t support is a blog that continues to grow it’s members and visitors with the singular purpose of a negative attitude towards another group of people who… after all are Not doing anything wrong. sorry to be spoiling any good time you were having with this and i’m not sure yet what the ADL thinks about it yet but, something tells me it wont compute with them as it probably lacks the wrong latitudinal demographic. also want to let you know that I'm going to join Desteni's group and buy all of there product merchandise directly because of your blog and i'm going to let it be know why i'm joining, is that cool with you? peace my friend
@scuzzbucket:
If you want to join Desteni that's up to you.
Why is Desteni the subject of this blog? Because its members have published literally tens of thousands of articles, audios, videos etc on all manner of subjects since 2007, they promote it online every day of the week and make all sorts of claims for the group. Desteni is founded on stories and beliefs about demons and dead people that most people would consider to be ridiculous. All of which is more than enough reason for there to be a blog about the group.
It is not “normal” for a non-profit company to offer affiliate marketing to its subscribers but that is what Desteni's Equal Life Foundation does. It is probably illegal, but the question of whether it is, is not that important. It's a social phenomenon we're talking about after all, not a criminal organisation. There is certainly no need for you to worry about a Waco siege-style scenario. No-one has suggested Desteni is stockpiling illegal weapons.
It has not been criticised “purely on the basis of disagreeing with their public relations approach” but primarily because Desteni is a scam. A scam doesn't have to be illegal for it to be a scam.
You have confused critical commentary and a discussion of facts with “hate”. Again, if you intend to make comments that accuse people of spreading negativity and disinformation then you should at least try to provide some specific reasons and evidence to back up your argument. Otherwise what you say tends to come across as pointless.
But you have to hand it to this blogger, for those of us in the "know", who can read between the lines, those of us sharply critical and shrewdly insightful and yet who have just happened upon Desteni, it's not only the greatest.fucking endorsement ever of the org but also a kind of super valuable cliffnotes.
I'd love to hear your views on Israel Shamir !!!
For those who've only recently heard of Desteni this blog gives plenty of information which is not so easy to find elsewhere and might be of interest to potential Destonians, but that doesn't make it an “endorsement”.
@Simon Richards: There is no point in saying you disagree with opinions unless you give reasons. If you can prove there are any factual errors at this blog then they will be amended accordingly.
@Desteni Cult, I have submitted comments on here before, and you have done a brilliant job at it. As a previous close friend of Esteni de Wet, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this cult has destroyed what was left of her family ties.
As for Poolman, well he used Esteni as a fuck bucket, with Sanet as a porn prop. Guess they now both have a lickher license.
Desteni is just another escape for people who cannot survive in the real world, not matter how skewed the real world is today.
It doesnt mater who says it, the desteni message is simply "Treat others the way you wish to be treated" and "to do onto others what you wish to be done onto you". desteni is not a cult because they arent trying to separate theirself from the rest of the world. they are trying to bring the world together into a unified race. on a unified planet under a unified system. sorry if your too brainwashed and afraid of a 'one world system' but it is actually the only way humanity will survive and flourish on this planet. we are ONE race of people after all. The REAL cults in this world are the minds of men. religion, and belief. the IDEA that we are somehow separate from each other.. how ? because we are born on the other side of an imaginary line ? because the colour of our skin is different, or because we believe in santa i mean god. these are the real cult groups your should be pointing out.. the various CULTures of mankind. who knows if desteni is telling the truth about the afterlife, or our creation, to be honest it really doesnt mater. its about as real as the christian belief or the Muslim faith. what MATTERS! is the fact that what desteni is and has been stating and proposing since the start, has never changed.. and that is the fact that there is a problem in this world, and this world will not be saved by aliens, or some god, or magical solution(which is what so many of us believe. which is how we can somehow justify the abuse in this world). the real solution in this world is each individual human being. realizing that we ARE responsible for what goes on, on this planet, and stopping the judgements and ideas of limitation within their self. and THROUGH that, realizing that a change in this world is possible, and things that we thought we could never overcome ARE do-able. (like quiting smoking, or changing this world). you have prety accurately stated the facts of the desteni group. i give you credit for being so thorough.. however you missed the simplest point of all. you think your making the world a better place by steering people clear of this "cult group" when really, desteni is just a group of regualr people who have chosen to dedicate their life to SELF change. who REALIZE the power so SELF forgiveness and not the forgiveness of god and the abdication of self responsibility onto somebody outside of self. they are regular people, who shaved their head to prove to THEIR SELF, that they didnt need a 'beautiful head of hair' to feel confident in public, and that their looks do not define them. just because they all look the same, participate in the same activitied, come together to financially support they farm on which they LIVE, you call them a cult ? who is the judgmental one now, who is the brainwashed one now? i think u need to look at what you have defined as a cult. and look around at how many cults you are in. if a cult "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object." then by the nature of our very world systems, arent we all apart of a cult ? think about it.
Desteni members always try to say that anything in the so-called 'world system' is a cult. In doing so they aim to devalue the word and strip it of any real meaning. Members of other cults do exactly the same thing.
The fact that “desteni is just a group of regualr people who have chosen to dedicate their life to SELF change” does not mean it is not a cult.
All cults are groups of people who have chosen to dedicate their lives to self change. Members of cults are always focused on changing themselves in accordance with the cult's teachings. Desteni members are no different in that respect.
For further clarification on the definition of Desteni as a cult, read the latest post:
School of Ultimate Living: Redefining the Word, Desteni
http://destenicult.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/school-of-ultimate-living-redefining.html
A cult you can still respect to some level. Desteni cult, well that is just a bunch of fuckups stealing oxygen on a porno farm out in the sticks, your parents must be so proud.
Haha, caricatural description. And you, who are you ? You have dedicated a blog just for that? You are dogmatics who wants share your dogma about groups like desteni... You have so many work. Good continuation.
Desteni presented itself as the caricature of a cult circa 2007-2013 with attention-seeking stunts on YouTube such as mass head-shaving, pretending to channel Adolf Hitler, and predictions that Desteni would transform the financial world by 2020.
The group has since toned down its act and nowadays mainly promotes its bland new age self-help scams aimed at people with self-esteem issues, but it is still a cult.
"Desteni presented itself as the caricature of a cult circa 2007-2013"
So, your blog is useless!? You made caricatures of caricatures. Nothing better to do?
Desteni at one time presented itself in such a caricatured way that it could have been mistaken for a joke cult. That does not mean that this blog is therefore of no value. Desteni was or is a real cult. This blog has not made any caricature but reported on the facts. Maybe you think it's a waste of time. Fine, but like most Desteni apologists you fail to give any reasons.
If Desteni is caricatural and people are too stupid to understand that. Do we need your views necessarily to understand this obvious ? Are you a savior for poor people? You are not coherent with your speculations on my position about desteni. Where do I apologize desteni? Can you explain me my own point of view? Do you know better what people think?
And i don't give reasons, i simply ask you questions... I don't speculate... Communication is an exchange, not a scientific challenge. Are you ok with that?
Just some last questions , what you do not see does not exist? You have nothing to learn about life? Just about science? You are maybe dead, like people who attempt to exist in the look of others with scares and in blowing hot air. What is your reason about that?
This blog has nothing to do with convincing readers that Desteni is a “caricature”. It is not an attempt to save anyone, and is obviously not about science or life and existence in general either.
Your idea that this blog is useless and dogmatic and presents a “caricature” of Desteni would suggest you are a Desteni supporter and apologist, but no, not necessarily.
If you want to make a criticism you are welcome but without any reasons to back it up then it will be pointless. That is not science, it is just the usual manner in which ordinary, everyday communication takes place.
you wrote: "Obviously, this blog is about Desteni, not Waco or the Branch Davidians..." then wrote later to use as a comparison: "There is certainly no need for you to worry about a Waco siege-style scenario. No-one has suggested Desteni is stockpiling illegal weapons"
1. I thought you dismissed Waco is being irrelevant... and 2. Branch Davidian's were not stockpiling illegal* weapons. they were dealing in Rifles all legal types for profit which was/is perfectly legal especially in Texas.
so there... you're proven wrong.
Re: the previous comment... The sentence you've referred to was a direct response to scuzzbucket's comment and their ludicrous suggestion that criticism of Desteni could lead to a Waco siege-style scenario. We did not say that the Branch Davidians were stockpiling illegal weapons. The fact is, it was the authorities who claimed they were, but that fact is irrelevant to Desteni.
All of you contributors to this blog in my view are one and equal - and perfect examples of the (illusion of) duality that marks this planet and - who knows - all of manifestation.
Thank you for being who you are and keeping the movie going!.
I embrace you all.
Yoyo
@Yoyo: You're wrong. There is no duality in this blog. It is not a philosophical discussion but a factual report on a social phenomenon, and its main point is unequivocal. If you think Desteni represents non-duality you don't understand their ideas.
Hi I was a member of the Desteni Cult for 8 years and got out and have lots of stuff I can give you. Do you have an email address I can send it to?
Re: the previous comment: there is no email address for this blog. You are welcome to post what you have in the comments here or on Google Docs, Dropbox or a blog or somewhere else and provide us with the link. Alternatively, you could post it at the Cult Education Forum. If it's good then with your permission we will use it as an article or part of one. Thank you.
I would gladly write something if you would take my name and my partner's name out of your website and any blog as it has done huge damage to our reputation and we are not part of it nor do we condone what is happening there. I would like to write to you privately about that.
We are not available for private correspondence, and don't know which names you are referring to.
You can give a link in a comment to whatever you might have to publish by any of the methods already suggested. If you want it can be deleted within 48 hours.
Actually, comments are moderated, which means they don't go straight to publication, so you can leave one with anything you'd like to communicate, mark all or some of it as confidential, and we will not publish it or only publish some of it.
If you can prove that any of the facts reported on at this blog are incorrect then they will be amended or deleted.
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