A portrait of cult leader Bentinho Massaro (who I'd never heard of before) by Be Scofield who spent a month with the cult in Sedona. I think Scofield over-emphasizes the tech/startup angle... since when does having a website and an instagram account qualify as a "brilliant" use of technology? It's like the commentators who still can't get over that ISIS members use Twitter.

Scofield's description does certainly paint Massaro as a typical narcissist guru. Why does there always seem to be a few thousand people in Boulder and Sedona who feel a need to be financially fleeced and abusively told what to believe by an unrepentant liar? (I guess if the 2016 election is an indication, it's not a phenomenon limited to New Age hotspots.)

"Garden hermits or ornamental hermits were hermits encouraged to live in purpose-built hermitages, follies, grottoes, or rockeries on the estates of wealthy land-owners, primarily during the 18th century. Such hermits would be encouraged to dress like druids and remain permanently on-site, where they could be fed, cared-for and consulted for advice or viewed for entertainment."

"The park rangers took Jackson’s sleeping bag, blankets, and his tent, yet left all of his other property on the ground. Jackson and his comrades believe the park rangers only took the survival gear to force them into shelters or force them to move farther out of sight and out of mind."