Was I In A Cult? - Morningland PT2: “Destructive, Evil Wench”

Episode Date: April 14, 2025

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trauma. Please listen with care.Frankie thought she was chosen. That she was being trained to be a healer, a mystic, a disciple of spiritual truth. But the truth was far more harrowing.In Part 2 of her story, we follow Frankie deeper into Morningland—where obedience meant servitude, sexual violence was disguised as divine initiation, and isolation was absolute. What began as New Age mysticism spiraled into total control, lasting trauma, and the systematic dismantling of a family.But through pain, there is power. And Frankie’s voice, now, is stronger than ever.LINKS:LIVE SHOW! April 25th at Napa Valley Streaming Fest — with special guest Moses Storm. Info & tickets: napavalleystreamingfest.comFollow us for more culty content: @wasiinacultSupport the show: If Was I in a Cult? has impacted you, please rate and review—it really helps more people find us! And consider joining our Patreon for ad-free episodes and more.Have a story of your own? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to: [e-mail] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The views, information, or opinions expressed by the guest appearing on this episode solely belong to the guest and do not represent or reflect the views or positions of the hosts, the show, Podcast One, this network, or any of their respective affiliates. Before we begin, please note that this episode contains descriptions of extreme sexual abuse and exploitation. Please listen with care. Thank you. But I have to say that I realized I was a teenage sex slave and I realized I was in a new age religion, but it didn't connect in my mind what that meant. So the word cult, the meaning wasn't really attached yet. What's a cult? I had no idea. Welcome back to Was I in a Cult, everyone? I'm Tyler Meesom. And I'm Liz Iacuzzi. And a quick reminder, everyone, in less than two weeks, we are doing our first live show at the Napa Valley Stream Fest on October 25th. It's located in, of course, beautiful wine country in downtown Napa.

And it's the inaugural year of this brand new and super innovative festival. The lineup features an amazing roster of creatives, filmmakers, actors, writers, podcasters, comedians, tick talkers. And we're honored to be among the mix. Our live show is going to feature special guest comedian Moses Storm, who if you don't know Moses Storm, he is very funny. He has a great HBO special called Trash White and he grew up in a doomsday cult. And Tyler and I are thrilled to have him be part of our show. Yeah, it's a fun interactive festival with wine, good food, great parties, wine.

What did I mention? Wine. Well, I don't know. You do that a lot. Tickets at NapaValleyStreamFest.com. The link is in the show notes. Come and see us in the flash. And if you're lucky, we'll give you a sash.

Even a gold one. So today's episode is part two of Frankie Tease's harrowing story of her survival from the Morningland Cult based in Long Beach, California. If you haven't heard part one yet, of course, please go back and start there. This episode picks up right where we left off. But a quick recap, Frankie and her twin sister were raised inside Morningland, which is a new age cult that operated under the guise of spiritual enlightenment, yet it was anything but. What began with promises of spiritual growth quickly devolved into something much darker.

As teenagers, they were isolated, renamed and groomed under the guise of quote divine training. They were told they were reincarnated priestesses. Now when we last left the previous episode, Frankie and her sister were sexually assaulted by Tree Donato in a cabin the cult called Crestline. And what Frankie is about to share is graphic and devastating. But it's also a testament to her resilience.

Welcome back to the show, Frankie. Don't spare my life, crucify me. After I got raped, I think I was really checked out after that. It was quite a moment. Like, we were up in Crestline that weekend, a couple seminar was coming up and I was on the outs because I was raped. And Sri Janata walked me through town to get away from maybe Saravati and the arriving guests. And she was like, damage control, damage control. But I was walking around the little city. I was heaving and sobbing, you know, like I couldn't control myself. And she took me to a restaurant

and ordered me a salad. She said, you know, you're going to be in a timeout. And then a car is called and someone comes and picks me up and takes me for like a week to another disciple. I didn't feel the same ever again. But let me ask you, would you ever look at your sister the same again? Zeruvati aggressively molested my sister and I for multiple years after that. My sister was belonging to Gopi Saravati for multiple years and we were separated. And then I was made to be with another person called Gopi Shokru. And then I was her servant and concubine for multiple years. Of course, that involved servicing her at night. And she started raping me in circles.

Like it was so horrific. I was passed around like a sex doll to every single member at one point or another. And I don't think I was ever awake for that when she did it to me before. And that's why I think I was given the date rape drug multiple times. I heard MDMA was circulating from a doctor that they knew in the ranks. I don't know if I was filmed in these sessions. What would it be worth to see redheaded twins? I don't know what she was doing, but I know she made money. The Morning land made money off me. Not only the music on tapes like cash, but she used to call us hookers for Christ. You need to look nice. Let's go shopping

for the wire bra. No, you need to watch what you eat. Sleep deprivation and food deprivation was extremely severe at 19 and 20 for me. Meanwhile, I slept on classroom floors. I had a pillow and a sleeping bag. And yet despite all this, you have to remember Frankie was fully indoctrinated. After all, she had been groomed since a very young age. And we think it's just the bee's knees. We're like, we're chosen. Oh my God. It's so special. I remember crying at a Sunday service because I was so moved with spirituality. And this woman, my sex master, Gopi Chakru, turned to me and said, why are you crying? I said, it's just so beautiful. And she's like, oh my God, you're so pure.

That's what they want, Liz. They wanted a hold of that. That's the fetish. That's the fucking vampire shit right there. Like I now know that energy exchange. I want to fuck you and eat you and absorb your energy. Okay, this is some dark ass shit they were into. And occult is the right word for morning land.

Occult, because the secrecy and the ceremonies and the pomp and the circumstances was quite alluring and seductive. Meanwhile, it's truly a sex cult with a seductive leader who knows how to get money out of people. A lot of couple seminars took place at these seminars in Crestline, so I know it was a moneymaker. Each couple pays to have time with the master to improve their spiritual life and to improve their marriage, to improve everything. And then

I was again, Sri Dhanano's assistant in this situation. I was her servant. Get her coffee, take notes. I would bring her things, make sure everything was in order, and listen during the sessions. And let's not forget the control Sri Dhanato had exerted was all about that control, as her guidance completely contradicted everything she was doing in her life. We have had some sick fuck cult leaders on this show, everyone, but I gotta say, she might take the cake. When I was listening, they're having it out on the patio. This one couple were talking about how they slipped up and had sex. They have been married for like 10 years. They have their habits.

And they were new to this and this couple was confessing, well, I just wanted to, you know, take her and put her on that table. And I did it. And they're like, now that set you back. Everyone's like, why did you do it? And it went in hard on this couple. And that's what it was when you did something that the master disapproved of. So the sex, the deprivation, making you change partners,

everyone was being made to do these things. A man who was openly gay, he basically was told by Sri Patricia that he didn't need to sleep with women. He was openly gay. Basically, she realized that if you control someone's sex, you got them. If they're going to listen to that, they're going to listen to everything. For years, Frankie and her sister were living without money, fully dependent upon the cult. But at some point, Agopi felt they needed more responsibility. So this woman, I remember her saying to Sri Dhanato, I just don't know if they'll know the value of a job if they're not able to have a small job on the side or something

like that. And then soon we had jobs. I was like, yay, I can buy cigarettes. Okay. I had a job in Belmont Shore, which is a ritzy part of town. I was working at this health food store and my mother would have to come there and try to visit with me and it was so awkward. And I didn't know what to do and I would just say hello, you know, how are you?

It feels so guilty for talking to her because shunning is the order of the day. And don't forget that having a job meant having access to the outside world. One time I was going to work and I remember I finally met a guy I really was smitten with and when there weren't customers we would sit on the counter and just stare at each other with no touching, you know, just smiling. It was like so cute. And then I started wearing like different clothes to flirt a little, like trying my hand amidst the situation where I'm a concubine, daytime version. And then one day Saravati, Gopi Saravati, she came

and picked me up and said, why are you wearing those tight clothes? And as I arrived at the temple, this is rough, okay? That's what's so fucking brutal. As I arrived at the temple, there were about 200 people sitting in a circle around the master in a session. Sri Dhanana was in a peacock wicker chair, tiara on her head, platinum blonde, long white hair, and her cigarette in her hand, her gold rings on every finger. And I joined the crowd and just sat down. I just got off work.

And she says my name and I stand up. Yeah, we saw you coming into the temple today. And we are disgusted. Why are you dressed like a slut? This is unacceptable. This is not who we have trained you to be. And I started the false confession, that's what you do. I started crying and saying, I don't know, I saw a guy I liked, I just, you know. And saying something to make it stop. I was told to quit that job and come back to the temple. That's the end of that.

Anytime I showed any freedom or expression outside of the temple, it was shut down like an abused wife. Now this event did create just a tiny crack in the facade of the cult. Now Liz, it gets really confusing because I left a couple of times after that. I would go to a hotel one time with whatever money I had and stay for like one or two nights until I ran out and I would just come back. I was like trying to start leaving and I couldn't get it done. There was no one out there. It was so intimidating. I'd never been in the world by myself. Four years of grooming and then five straight years of sex slavery. And so you're in these routines and it's hell. You know, I'm doing everything I need to do.

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but when it's quince stuff I get to purchase them because their prices can't be beat. We love quince on this show guys we have used it for so much. We're talking lightweight European linen styles from 30 bucks, washable silk tops, super comfy lounge sets. They always have new items for men, for women, for kids. I recently got my son's bedding from there. He's transferred to a twin bed. He's no longer in his crib. He loves his new bedding.

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How am I doing? Thanks, Rob. So for your next trip, staycation or late night shopping extravaganza, treat yourself to the lux upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to quince.com slash cult for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's q u i n c e dot com slash cult. Quince dot com slash cult. All right, everyone, we have done many episodes of Was I in a Cult, but for whatever reason, these two particular

Frankie episodes were perhaps the most difficult we've ever done. And not only for the content, but for some reason there were plenty of issues. I actually conducted this interview, I think it was two years ago now. It was over multiple days and it totaled, I don't know, at least eight hours. Yeah, and throughout the post-production process, there were many audio glitches, there were editing hiccups, there were missing files. I lost days of work to a saving issue. Where's the woe is me music, Rob? Oh, play the tiniest violin. play the tiniest violin.

But we push through because this story is so powerful because Frankie is so inspiring. So, yeah, there you have it. It's nice to finally have this story out into the world. Speaking of the story, let's go back to this difficult episode, shall we? Let's do it. So Frankie's life within the walls of Morningland gets smaller and smaller. And then the unthinkable happens. My sister and I are separated. I'm at the temple with Chakru, and my sister's trained how to prep for the printing press. So this is our job now.

We're here full time. I don't know what happened. I still don't know what happened. She had enough contact with the outside world to go, wait a minute. She started asking some questions and was upset about what Saravati did to us. She said something, which I never did. I was too afraid. She said something and they said, well, you know, it's time for you to leave. I don't even know how that happened. And what was next was that they ushered my sister out.

She left. And they sat me down and explained, like, your sister left. I was like, what? What do you mean? Well, she's living in an apartment, and if you'd like, you can go see her so you can say goodbye.

I'm like, okay. So I go, and I'm having this conversation. I don't even recognize my sister. She's dashing around ignoring me and we barely talked really. I don't even know what we did. Just stared around and then she brought me back to the temple and I was greeted with, see your sister doesn't even want you. So that was fun. I mean, you know, like everybody wants to hear that. I really couldn't have felt more dejected than I felt at that moment.

Wow. Shri Danano proceeded to stand me in front of her in a forced confession. And I remember talking and talking and talking while she read and rearranged books and placed them into proper order. At one point I went from laughing to crying, and I now know I was in hysterics. And I remember her just chuckling right then when I went into crying. And I think she was thinking, I broke her. It took a while. It's done.

Now you can be a gopie. Now let's get you to be in training." And so once my sister left, I was extremely distraught, as you can imagine, and vulnerable. I was there alone. And there was no more family. So this woman went in hard. I was 100% serving the master in the best capacity I could all the time, anytime, whatever, everything. I was devoted and I believed it. I mean, you know, the extent of the separation programming is unique

and whenever these were awful and stressful, I would start locking myself in the bathroom. That's the only place I had that lock that I could just sit there and hear my own thoughts for a second. And so I started being this person that was locking them. So the, where is someone's, are you in there? Oh, okay. I'll come out. She would tell me, stop leaving your thoughts around when you clean my bathroom.

Stop it. And then can you help us and put your hands on me back? You're going to help heal me because of this coughing fit. So she was using me to heal her, like suck my energy dry, you mean. You don't have any more good energy because you're a destructive, evil wench. You have no more positivity left. But sadly, the duties didn't stop there. Like with any servant, you don't have a choice when your master chooses to use you. Whenever. Constant. We were in, usually, it was like a session and Sri Dhanan would say,

Saravati, why don't you take so-and-so and get that chore done that we were talking about. And that's what that meant. Ghosts suck. Clit. And you're told to go, you know, clean up for this. It's like, where? If you don't have a bed and you take a bath in a mop closet, God. And people were still there in session. It was so disgusting. Like, ugh, I'm in the next room doing this thing. These demands never stopped. The shoulder tapping after the incest humiliation never stopped. The voyeurism of old ladies, this fetishism of us as redhead twins, this forced sexuality which went against my grain boat was required.

It never stopped. The ultimate insadism. That is Sri Dhanato in a nutshell. She clearly enjoyed it. She relished control over her subjects like a 14th century ruler. A mess right now. Oh my god. It's like it was clearly known by my abusers that I liked boys, but yet I was subjugated to service women for years. I was manipulated and mocked if I showed emotion toward a man. One of my defenses to the sexual slavery was not to orgasm during sex. To train myself to remove myself from the situation.

I became an actor in bed. The years of that, okay, that'll fuck you up. Your wiring? I had to retain myself and retrain myself to enjoy sex later in life. My sexual wiring was so messed up by all of this nonsense. We'll be right back when Frankie finally takes her first step towards freedom. During the recent LA wildfires, my family was forced to evacuate our home for a week, not

knowing what was going to happen. Now, fortunately, our house did survive. But when we finally came back, the air was smoky and inside our house, it was even worse. Now, luckily, we had an air doctor air purifier. And after just a couple of hours, the house actually smelled clean. I mean, you could feel the difference. Now, unlike other air purifiers, Air Doctor captures invisible particles 100 times smaller than standard HEPA filters. That's why it works when you need it. I know me and my family were grateful for it.

Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code INACULT to get up to $300 off today. Plus, you get a 30 day money back guarantee and a three year warranty, an $84 value free. That's airdoctorpro.com and the code is INACULT. Was I in a cult is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. I mean, we've all made some questionable decisions. Even some of us join cults accidentally. But switching your insurance? That's an easy one. Yeah, and Progressive, it makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when

you bundle your home and auto policies. The process takes just minutes, way less time than it took me to realize that I was in a cult. And it could save you hundreds. While the cult just took money from me. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could say progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates potential savings will vary not available in all states. So one day I started rifling through the phone book to see if my sister's name was there and I found it.

I was like, oh my God, she lives at Data Point. Holy crap. Okay, that's actually like more than I knew. And I was like, I'm going, this is it. Is this the last time? I started walking around. I went upstairs and got my purse, which was like my ID. That's it. That's all that was in it. No money, of course. And I had scraped a dollar out of the

change drawer that they had in this office. And I said, look, I'm leaving. I told a few people. And then Shri Janato presented herself at the door as I was standing there about to leave. And she just looked at me and she said, who's going to watch the kids if you leave? And I just stared. And then I turned and I walked away. There was no goodbye. There was nothing from this monster. I got on the bus with my dollar and I went to Dana Point. It used to take you all that way for a dollar. Got off the bus like a trafficking victim and this guy goes, hey! And he yells out my sister's name. Turn. Oh, I'm not her. I'm her twin. He's, oh my God, you guys look so much alike. Yeah. And I'm really focused. Like, do you know where she works? Yeah, I do. She works at this restaurant. I'll take you there tomorrow. I think she's going to

work tomorrow. I was like, okay. He goes, you want to stay in my van tonight? And I was like, okay. This is where we as cold victims, especially the young people, we don't know what danger even looks like. It's just so normal for us to jeopardize ourselves. And that's what I did. I stayed in this guy's van. I just sat there and never slept. He made me some top ramen. It was super respectful, shockingly lucky, you got to admit. And then he drove me to her work and she was there. She was staying at an apartment in Diana Point and got a job at a little sandwich joint. And then she came out and said, oh my God, what are you doing here?

I was like, I left. And she's like, I work till such and such and then I'll take you to my place and we can talk. And I was like, okay. And then she brought me back to the temple to my abusers. She took me back there and she was like, okay, see you later. That was it. She left me there.

She didn't want me. And they said, you know, second time, see, your sister doesn't even want you. And the fact that she doesn't. She abandoned me. So I have very mixed feelings that I try not to talk about because she was a victim, too. It's brutal. All right. Now, this is where those audio issues I spoke about earlier reared their ugly heads. We kind of lost the next part of the story, but to fill you in, basically, Frankie escapes yet again from the cult, goes to her sister's apartment, and for a few days sleeps on the couch.

But Frankie, continually being in her sister's orbit, only served to remind her sister of the horrors of the cult. She's done. She's in a state I can't explain. Hyper distant. Awful to me. She wanted it to be over. I got a job at a sandwich shop and then we went our separate ways, ASAP. And the on and off would go for years, but it's been off, mostly off. So painful. Oh, so painful. I hadn't dealt with any of this. I hadn't evicted my abusers at all.

They were still in my head. I was having nightmares every day where Sri Janato was chasing me through mansions with a knife. I was in a post-cult haze. I think you are familiar with that and some of your listeners are. My first order of business was to get drunk and give my virginity away so I could make sure I was normal. At that point, I had no power over my sexuality. I was beholden to whoever liked me. Because you were a slave. You literally belonged to someone.

What you did, what you were fed when you slept, and what you did every day, and what you read and thought and listened to and watched was controlled. Now it's all gone. Like, wee! Oh, no, wait. I need that still. It's familiar. Many trafficked victims go back to their abuser because it's familiar. And we've been so removed from the world and isolated, we don't know how to function. But it was just so exciting not to have any oppressor and do whatever I wanted. No one's gonna bother me or have a clearing session

or tell me everything I did today was wrong and needs improvement. No one, just all I had to do was earn money and pay rent. I was just ripping through life, girl. It was alcohol-fueled exhibitionism for me. She was, of course, making up for lost time, but at the same time unraveling a lifetime of trauma. Oh my gosh. And I went on a blaze through the country. I lived in Tucson in

a quick marriage and divorce. I lived in San Francisco for a little bit. I traveled to Europe for three months. I just was like experiencing the world after such deprivation. Taking it all in reading, drawing. I was living life. I won't lie. Oh my god I had shaken the bad vibes in California and I went to Portland, Oregon and I was in somewhere I'd never been. There was music everywhere. I didn't need a car. I biked. I walked. It was pretty fun. And there was a strip club on every corner and I was still like shy. I really don't know what possessed me to go there. But I do think I was driven by my super ego, as they say in psychology,

to resolve my sexual issues. At which time I proceeded to become a stripper. It was the most empowering thing I've ever done in my life because I could leave as soon as they throw the dollars and I'm done, I walk out. I don't have to answer to anyone. So for everyone out there who thinks stripping is degrading, well, Frankie is here to prove otherwise.

I renamed myself Frankie Tease. I dyed my hair black so that when I looked in the mirror, I saw black hair, not red. Oh my God, it was like, yes, this is a different, I'm a different, let's do this. The old me is dead. I'm in charge. At which time I proceeded to lose weight and get in the best shape of my life and then I became proficient on the pole, which is a workout. And basically I got really good at it and then I became famous in Portland for my headstand as a finale. Like pretty much half naked with heels on. It was fun. It was a very acrobatic act and allowed me an expression that I've never had.

I'll try to replicate that in Napa for you guys. You know, it's like from this person that was forced to sit in a chair, smoke and drink coffee and tapped on the shoulder to have sex and, you know, your alter-girl persona, it was like ditched. And it was something I got to enjoy for a minute because that was positive, but it also brought a lot of pain. And we'll find out why after this. Okay, if you love A Good Mystery, and I mean mean you are listening to a podcast about cults, then you're gonna love June's Journey.

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I have to say that I realized I was a teenage sex slave and I realized I was in a new age religion but I hadn't fully gone into the psychological nature of the abuse. So the word cult, the meaning wasn't really attached yet. So I had read a lot of books about trying to get your mind back and discipline and positivity. And I was trying to employ all of that. So the clarification started coming more and more like I was in an abusive cult with a control system, a sealed in society, an abusive charismatic leader who had all the answer to everything, apocalypticism, the doctrine that didn't make sense, the claiming you're the Christ. Oh my lord. It has all the earmarks.

Frankie at this point in her life had long been estranged from her mother, but a reunion might not have been the best for either of them. I had become a burlesque producer in Portland and I moved to Las Vegas to look to a bigger market. And so my mom was also living in Vegas. For her it was all about like the 21 deck. She's retired and she was having fun. And she started writing me letters when I was in Portland that I needed to forgive her. I was like, well, she didn't even know yet what happened.

So it was like, bitch, I'm not, I'm tearing this up. And I would go on with my drunk life. And then I got to Las Vegas. Suddenly I became confronted with my emotions. And I really can't tell you what happened. I have no idea how this bubbled up. I was clearly having a conflict with seeing and being around my mom. My mother and I had these intimate conversations that neither of us were really prepared to

have. It suddenly came out of my mouth to tell her what happened after not telling her for 25 years or more. My sister and I had been abused in a cult and you didn't know. And I'm sorry, now I have to tell you. And all hell break loose, where I almost took my own life in Las Vegas

due to the emotional distress that was caused when my mom and I couldn't communicate after revealing my secret. You know, having survived, having looked suicide in the face and seen my abusers there laughing, hoping I do it, I'm taking control of this. That's not how this story is going to end. That's not how this character dissolves. So I got my act together and I got some odd jobs. I moved back to Long Beach to be in my town and connect to the town I missed so much. And as for her mom, we really couldn't get along after that. And it wasn't seven years until we talked again. But then came that fateful month in March of 2020.

Due to the pandemic, most of us were all getting in touch with our relatives, you know. And we finally had these conversations. And for the first time ever, I started to be able to have compassion for her, because I was getting past my anger. And after I was able to tell her what happened, now she was able to process that, and realized that all three of us were so separated and abused, that all three of us are survivors, and it wasn't fair what they did to my mom. They disabled my mom from her kids. She was up against this wall of people and

now I know that. And so they finally reconciled and moved in together. As a 50-some year old person getting to know your mom without any anger for the first time since I was a teen, getting to know that she's funny, so creative and she's a painter, we're able to talk and fill in gaps. You know what would be cool is, is if we were able to talk to her mom to get a perspective on this whole thing. That would be cool, wouldn't it? Yeah, it would. Too bad you didn't do that.

It's too bad I didn't. You actually did. And we actually recorded it and we actually kept it and didn't lose it. So here's a bit of their time together. Hi, mom. Hi, Frankie's mom. My name is Judy. Well, wow. We've just heard your daughter's incredible story. And knowing you were a big part of some of that story, I just wanted to say it's so nice that you guys are reunited and have this relationship you have today.

It's quite a relief. So hard. Do you remember in the very, very beginning when they were recruiting you, what was the pitch that they were selling to you? It's so long ago. I don't remember whether I was one of the people in the crowd that they gave a reading to. I can tell you that I had just severed my relationship with the Mormon religion in a sad way.

I was pretty tired of religion, and this was being presented as organization that had something else to offer than religion. And I also really enjoyed the idea of the power of women, because as we know, Mormon religion has no power in the women. I can tell you one pivotal moment before you ask another question is, I was walking down the main street in front of the cult one day, and it had just been after Jonestown. I started crying on the corner saying, am I in a cult? What can I do about this?

And I could tell you also that night in our class, it was about 15 to 20 people in class, once a week class, and Sri Dinato had Kool-Aid ready for us, and she served us. She had a pitcher and she poured each little dixie cup, I think it was like those three ounce dixie cups, and handed each person one. I was pretty shaken, and I kept saying, but they wouldn't do this now. But they wouldn't do this to us. I guess she thought it was funny,

but it was such an emotional day for me. It wasn't funny at all. It was so quiet in there. Everybody just sipped their Kool-Aid and continued with the class, I think. And it's so fucked think. I was so fucked up. I thought so. When you got excommunicated

and your daughters were still there, what were your feelings? By that time, we lived right next door. Our, my kitchen windows looked right into their parking lot, where they had a lot of social activities. And I remember sitting on the couch in the dark, no lights on, so that I could just stare at morning light. And I sat there for hours, just staring,

trying to come up with a solution, and round and round and round in the head. And the light switch that was on the lamp next to me, I just kept pulling on and off, turning the light on and off, on and off, on and off. It took me two months for the reality to set in to allow me to start thinking. Yeah, if I could rescue my daughters and take them elsewhere, yeah, it was a realization. They would probably because of their age

and the power of the organization, they would just get in touch with the organization and they would probably make their way back because they were their property by that time. They were being groomed to be gopies. It took me a while to get to counseling. It took me a couple months and it just really helped me establish an understanding that I wasn't alone in the first place. I had no idea how many calls were in this world. No idea. How many years were you estranged?

I was excommunicated in 84, and I did not see them or talk with them for nine years. And Frankie said that you were writing letters that never got there. My mother was ailing, and she wanted to see her granddaughters. We wrote letters, and they never got them. And one of the last letters I wrote was to invite them to her funeral. They never showed up. Well, you guys are together now and that is a beautiful end to that story. So and it's not ended and it's not ended at all. No, we're still working on other things like the reunion of sisters.

Yes, I don't give up hope anymore. I get it. Well, thank you, Judy, for, um, chiming in and sharing. Thank you. Here comes Frankie. One thing your mom had said when we interviewed her said she's still holding out hope for twins to reunite. I do hope that my sister and I will one day be able to stay in the same room for five

minutes without getting triggered. But at this point it's so painful that it's actually more compassionate for me to keep to myself. I have to heal myself. I'm very fortunate I have the connection with my mom back. So I've got to count my blessings and keep on going forward. And I do hope that my sister will find the space to be around me. But I'm holding the flame for us. And it's really a good place for me to be. But I think telling the story that you would never

think something like this could happen to you. And that's what I think every person going into this thinks. I want people to know, if you're a parent, it can happen to you. My mom was quite down to earth, and it happened to her. And she went looking for a group to belong to, and she went looking for spirituality. She was delivered a shit pie. Simply know that cults hide within various religions and they must be watched out for. And people need to know what cult is in their midst in Long Beach, California at 7th and Molino.

They've gotten away with everything they've done and they haven't paid for it. And it's time to break the vow of silence. I'm here singing it. I'm gonna keep singing it. Oh, wow. What a story. What a survivor. Frankie Tease, my God, thank you for your courage, your honesty, and for trusting us to share your story. honesty and for trusting us to share your story. Yeah, these stories aren't always easy to tell or to hear, but they need to be heard.

Because survivors like Frankie remind us how strong the human spirit really is. And speaking of spirits… Don't forget we'll be live at the Napa Valley Stream Fest on April 25th. That's a Friday. Come hang out with us in beautiful the Napa Valley Stream Fest on April 25th. That's a Friday. Come hang out with us in beautiful downtown Napa. There's great food, wine, wine, some storytelling, and wine. The tickets are at Napa Valley Stream Fest. We'll link it in the show notes. And as always, thank you everyone for listening and for believing survivors. And thank you to Kiri Christensen. She upgraded her Patreon status from culty to cultier. And we'll see you next week when we have the story of someone who was in a book cult, Liz?

A book cult. What did I read that right? You think you've heard it all, guys. You've heard it all, guys. Like, you're on your feet carrying 30, 40 pounds of books in the blazing hot sun. You're hungry and just alone. It's like I would get lost. We're doing this thing over and over again as the like slow panic started to set in. I might not sell any of these books. I don't like being here. Was I an Occult is written, hosted, produced, and fixed and edited and saved and made

better and kicked ass by me. And I have nothing to do with it. Lizzie Cousy. And Rob hangs around and presses some buttons. He's here too. Yeah. And then Greta, she presses some buttons and then she gives it to me to make better and great.

Greta's great. Greta Stromquist, we appreciate you and all the hard work you do to make Tyler's life easier. So he can just whine some more. Speaking of whine, we'll be at the Napa Valley's room best. Rob, the episode is over. Cut him off. Whine! Take out your light Cut him off! Wine!

Take out your knife. Purify me. Don't spare my life. Crucify me. She was of course making up for lost time, but at the same time unraveling a lifetime of trauma. Hit it out of the park again. Wow.

Just call me Sammy Slow Sla. We will. We'll call you that. And Liz Slammy Slowuh, Iacuzzi. We'll put that in the credits and no one will know what the fuck we're talking about. This is a story that begins with a dying wish. One thing I would like you to do. My mother's last request that my sister and I finish writing the memoir she'd started

about her German childhood, when her father designed a secret super weapon for Adolf Hitler. My grandfather, Robert Lusser, headed the Nazi project to build the world's first cruise missile, which terrorized millions and left a legacy that dogged my mother like a curse. She had some secrets, mom had some secrets. I'm Suzanne Rico. Join my sister and me as we search for the truth behind our grandfather's work and for the first time face the ghosts of our past. Listen to the man who calculated death. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

See what's screaming free all month long during Pluto TV's April ghouls. Get your heart pounding with nightmare fueling classics like Insidious and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Or test your nerves with haunting hits like Urban Legend and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Pluto TV has hundreds of channels and thousands of terrifying movies, live and on demand. Download Pluto TV on all your favorite devices and start streaming now.