Secret Cults Hiding in Plain Sight Today

You will attain the true happiness in your life.

They have so much control and so much mind control over you that you just are at their whim. She was arrested on charges of holding cult members against their will and subjecting them to abuse. The leader of a cult was found dead and mummified in a sleeping bag wrapped with Christmas lights in southern Colorado. I questioned Jeff and his reply [music] was, "How dare you question your god?"

Holy, [singing] holy, holy.

When you think of a cult, you imagine people wearing robes and living in the mountains. But modern cults are clever. They dress like influencers and talk like life coaches. But slowly, they turn into something dangerous. By then, it's too late to escape. I'm taking you on a deep dive about secret cults still hiding in plain sight today, and you'll see just how easy it is for [music] some people to fall into one without even noticing. I want to thank you guys because we hit 1.5 million subscribers, and it's honestly just surreal. So, the new [music] goal is 2.5 million subscribers by the end of 2026, which is an absolutely crazy goal. So, it would mean the world if you subscribe, and I promise to do the best that I can to put out the best videos possible. I'm sick right now, and you are awesome.

Modern Mystery School. Some cults pretend to be religions, but this one pretends to be a school. The Modern Mystery School claims it trains people to cast out demons [music] and battle evil spirits. But somehow that's not the strangest thing about it. The strangest thing is that the cult allegedly started on a spaceship. In late 1990s, a man named Goodney Goodnes claimed he had an encounter with advanced aliens. And according to him, it was life-changing. According to Goodney, the aliens taught him ancient magic that he could use to improve his life. Before they left, they gave him a mission. Share that wisdom with the world so that everyone can have a better life. Soon after, Goodney opened [music] a small spiritual center in Utah.

"We are now finally offering our services and our teachings to the general public."

He sold himself as an enlightened being with ancient alien knowledge. Good blend of spirituality, mysticism, and charisma attracted thousands. He promised students peace, healing, and a life without negativity. But Goodney's lessons weren't free. Students paid hundreds of dollars to attend his classes. Then in 2006, Goodney made things official. He founded the Modern Mystery School. That's when he started teaching some darker concepts. Goodney told his students that the world's suffering came from dark spirits invading Earth from another dimension. The mystery school teaches that bad things like natural disasters or school shootings happen when demons cross from the spirit world onto Earth. However, his modern mystery school could train people to fight those spirits and protect the planet. The school started offering classes like spells and charms, alchemy, and dragon magic. The advanced students learned exorcism. In reality, the exorcism classes were just meditation and martial arts style [music] exercises. Still, many students believed they were performing real magic. Then came the rituals. To reach the highest levels, students had to pass extreme tests. One of them involved being buried alive.

"They shoveled the sand on top of your entire body. Now you're thinking, 'Am I going to die?'"

Those who passed joined an elite inner circle called the shadow team. Goodney sent the shadow team to places hit by earthquakes and floods. He told [music] them demons caused those natural disasters.

"We were told that there used to be portals that opened up where these demons were literally coming in onto the planets."

The shadow team performed magic rituals to stop the destruction.

"and we had to stop the demonic infestation."

Students felt powerful and devoted, but the deeper they went, the more it cost. Some classes cost thousands of dollars. Private sessions with leaders cost even more.

"I'd say about a good $95,000 just on classes, let alone expenses and everything. A lot of money. a lot of money."

Some followers sold their homes, quit jobs, and went into debt just to keep paying.

"And it doesn't matter if you borrow money from the bank because that's, you know, money is energy. It's flowing. So, borrow all the money that you can."

And when they try to leave, the school used fear to keep them trapped.

"The school makes you believe that if you leave the school that you're going to be possessed by the devil. If you leave the school, you're going to get cancer and this disease and that disease."

For years, Goodney kept manipulating and profiting from followers. And one day it all came crashing down. In 2021, a reporter named Mark Wilding started digging into the cult. He interviewed former members, teachers, and insiders. They described a world built on fear, control, and endless [music] payments. Mark also uncovered how the school used spiritual threats to keep people dependent. When his report came out, it made national headlines. The Modern Mystery School denied all accusations. They claimed the former members were lying to destroy their reputation. But the story really weakened the cult. After reading the expose, hundreds of followers quit, but a lot of members stayed loyal and the cult continued. Today, the Modern Mystery School is still active. It claims to have members in more than 60 countries and they're still selling expensive courses on exorcism and magic.

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This next cult held hundreds of people captive. Grace Road. Every member of this cult believes the same thing that an apocalypse is coming to [music] wipe out humanity and they're convinced only one person can save them. Their leader Shinakju Grace Road started in 2002 as a South Korean church but the preaching sounded more like science fiction than scripture. The leader Shinju [music] told followers that doctors were part of a devilish conspiracy.

"Doctors implanting like things into you like chips, [music] microchips, nanochips."

She also said modern medicine was a sin and that many humans were actually reptilian creatures.

"and like lizard people just a lot of conspiracy theories."

But her most extreme claim was that a nuclear apocalypse would soon [music] destroy the world.

"In the Grace Road Church's view of the world, we are heading for an impending global cataclysm that will involve nuclear war."

After the war, she said global famine would occur. [music] Only her followers would be saved as long as they obeyed her completely. At first, almost nobody took her seriously. Other churches called her a heretic. The media ignored her, but a small [music] group believed. They saw her as a prophet who could see the future. By 2012, around 400 people joined Grace [music] Road, ready to do whatever she commanded. Most would regret it. In 2013, Shin's warnings became more urgent. She said the nuclear apocalypse was only months away. But she also claimed one place would remain safe when it struck, a small island in the Pacific called Fiji. She called it the promised land. Shin wanted to move there with her followers. So, she ordered her followers to sell everything they own.

"Members typically will sell their family's assets. They would hand over, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sometimes."

Shinakju used that money to start a company in Fiji. Grace Road Group.

"Grace Road morphed into a business conglomerate with interests in farming, construction, supermarkets, [music] restaurants, petrol stations, and even dental clinics."

Then she gave [music] the order move to Fiji. In 2014, hundreds of followers quit their jobs and left South Korea for Fiji. They believed they were escaping destruction, but they were actually walking into captivity. Once they arrived, the paradise sin promised vanished. Followers were split up and assigned [music] to work in grace businesses. They worked long hours for no pay.

"The church members worked like 6 days a week and they sleep like four or five hours a day."

Many developed long-term injuries because of the long hours. Others lost their [music] lives.

"Kitil died of a heart attack in her living quarters on Grace Roads farm. He attributes her death to stress and physical [music] exhaustion."

But the work wasn't the most painful aspect of the cult. It was Shin's punishment rituals. She held violent threshing sessions where she hit followers as a form [music] of discipline. She called these beatings threshing sessions. Shin even filmed herself doing it. She made them believe that the violence purified their souls. One member even passed [music] away after a brutal session. It was so unbearable that many wanted to return to South Korea, but escape was nearly impossible. The cult leaders stole everyone's [music] travel documents.

"When I went to, you know, pack my computer, my laptop, it was gone. I realized my passport was gone."

Their phones and laptops were also seized. They were trapped on an island with no way out. And the police in Fiji didn't interfere. Grace Road owned many businesses there, and Shin had strong connections in the country. She was treated like she was above the law. Everything seemed hopeless. Then the South Korean authorities found out what was going on. Although Shin's followers were in Fiji, there were still South Korean citizens. In 2018, footage leaked showing Shin harassing her [music] followers. The world finally saw what her followers were enduring. Videos emerged showing her beating followers and cutting off their hair. She called it knocking the devil out [music] of them. Global media picked up the story. South Korea launched an investigation. Later that year, Shin was arrested at [music] an airport. Founder Shing Oku was arrested in 2018 after returning to South Korea and later sentenced to prison on charges of violence and brainwashing. She was charged with holding 400 followers captive. A South Korean court sentenced her to 6 years behind bars. [music] Many believed it was the end of Grace Road. It wasn't. Even after Shin's arrest, the Grace Road group continued operating [music] in Fiji. The new leader was Shin's son. He manages farms, stores, and construction projects across [music] the country. Today, Grace Road is so embedded in Fiji economy that few dare to challenge it. Some locals even joke that the cult runs the country.

This next chapter is about a cult that tried to end thousands of people. In the 1980s, people joined a group to learn meditation and inner peace. Over time, that group slowly turned into a cult. Instead of meditating, members started making chemical weapons. Their goal was to use them on thousands of innocent people. This is a story of how a yoga teacher turned his followers into killers. It all began in Tokyo, Japan in 1984. A man named Shoko Asahara opened a small yoga school. He taught meditation, breathing, and spiritual healing. But Asahara said he wasn't like the other yoga teachers around. He had supernatural powers. Some followers said they saw him levitate. They even took a photo. Others believed he could heal people with his hands. But the real hook was his promise to give those same powers to others.

"promised to transfer spiritual power over to true believers and absolves them of [music] sin."

His classes soon turned into a community and that community became a movement. By 1985, the cult had thousands of members.

"At its peak, M was a truly global movement with tens of thousands of followers."

They meditated, donated money, and followed his teachings closely.

"Members of the cult had to hand over almost all of their worldly possessions to Asahara."

To outsiders, it looked peaceful, but inside things were slowly changing for the worse. In 1990, Asahara began preaching about the end of the world. He warned that a nuclear war was coming to wipe out humanity. [music] The world would be thrown into chaos. The only way to survive was to prepare. The cult began building secret compounds around Japan. [music] Inside, they stockpiled all kinds of weapons. They even built a facility to produce toxic chemicals. Asahara said it was for defense, but [music] in truth, it was preparation for an attack. Members were also forced to undergo something called survival [music] training.

"Members would be subjected to prolonged submersion underwater and even substance abuse."

The cult never questioned its leader. They worshiped him like a [music] saint, and that blind devotion made it easy for him to push them toward violence. Over time, the cult gained a dark reputation. The cult's doomsday prophecy attracted unwanted attention. Former members came forward with disturbing stories. Newspapers [music] published negative reports. Anti-cult organizations flagged the group as a threat. The cult didn't [music] appreciate the negative attention, so they secretly began targeting their critics. Some were beaten, others were sprayed with toxic [music] chemicals. In one tragic case, the cult ended a lawyer and two members of his family. They targeted that lawyer because he represented families whose children had been drawn into the cult. The cult's hitman did a good job covering their tracks so the crimes couldn't be traced back to them, but they still made mistakes. Soon, police gathered enough proof to move in. Officers planned to raid the cult's compound in March 1995. Somehow Asahara found out so he decided to strike first. The cult planned to end as many policemen as possible. Their weapon of choice was sarin gas, a lethal nerve agent. They needed a place with the highest number of police on duty. They chose a busy subway terminal in Tokyo. On March 20th, 1995, they put their plan into action. Five cult members boarded trains during rush hour. They released the gas. Within minutes, the air became toxic. Passengers were affected. [music] More than 6,000 people were hospitalized. 14 passed away. Police quickly connected it to the cult. [music] Within weeks, multiple top members were arrested, including the leader, Shoko Asahara. When the case went to trial, the court showed no mercy.

"13 got the death penalty, including Shoko Asahara, the wouldbe Messiah [music] himself."

They were executed by 2018. But the story didn't end there. The remaining members refused to abandon the cult. They renamed it ALF, and reports claimed it's now run by a Sahara's son. But they no longer preach [music] doomsday scenarios. The cult is now a yoga and spiritual center in Tokyo, just like it began in the 1980s.

This next cult sometimes had its members pay up to 1 million. Scientology. Scientology claims to have 8 million members in 169 countries. For context, that's roughly the population of a small country. Followers call it a movement for healing [music] and self-improvement. Former members call it something else, a dangerous cult. Scientology was founded by Elron Hubard. In the 1950s, [music] Hubard was a struggling science fiction novelist. He used his imagination to make up [music] stories about aliens and intergalactic wars. However, Hubard was broke. Writing novels wasn't paying the bills, [music] so he reinvented himself. In 1954, he launched Scientology in Los Angeles. [music] He said it was a religion that could help people unlock their potential.

"Presents itself to the public as a spiritual organization, a religion even, that exists to help people improve themselves."

But behind that positive mission were strange beliefs. Hubard taught that 75 million years ago, billions of aliens lived on Earth. However, a catastrophic event ended them. Their physical bodies were destroyed, but their spirits were still hovering on Earth. And those spirits latched onto humans. According to Hubard, those spirits were the cause of problems like anxiety, depression, and addiction. That's where Scientology entered the picture. Hubard created a process to detach those spirits from humans. He called it auditing.

"engage in auditing sessions, a practice that involves recounting one's past [music] traumas to a member of the Scientology clergy."

The sessions resembled regular therapy, but Hubard claimed they were scientific procedures, and they were most definitely not cheap.

"Achieving clear status typically cost between $30,000 and $50,000."

By the time a member was declared clear, they already spent a fortune. That wasn't the end of it. After auditing, members [music] were told to buy advanced courses. These courses promised higher spiritual powers including telepathy, but they were even more expensive.

"By the end, if you achieve the highest levels of Scientology, you will have paid somewhere between half a million to a million dollars."

Scientology costs a lot of money, but the financial side is not the most alarming part. The lifestyle rules are. Scientology members lived under strict rules. They were discouraged from spending time with non-members. Their social circle was made up of Scientologists only.

"a Scientologist. I knew [music] very few people who were not Scientologists. That was"

at the center of the organization was a special group known as the CEO organization or SeaOrg. They had even stricter rules. For instance, Seaorg members signed contracts to serve the church for eternity.

"At just [music] 7 years of age, she signed a contract committing her to a billion years with the church."

Seorg members worked for the cult full-time. Their duties ranged from construction [music] to cooking to landscaping and the working conditions were brutal.

"To talk, urinate or sit and you [music] have 15 or 16 hours of work a day interspersed."

Leaving was nearly impossible. Those who tried were reportedly stalked, harassed, or sued [music] to leave Scientology.

"They face hounding and harassment. I'm a private investigator and [music] I'm investigating you on your actions against the Church of Scientology."

Over time, stories about Scientology's extreme rules [music] spread. Former members described forced labor, isolation, and financial pressure. Many took Scientology to court. Some countries even banned the group. As the backlash grew, Scientology became [music] secretive. Members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements before taking part in certain activities.

"Then they need to sign some things to show them how to talk about it. Some non-disclosure type forms."

Despite countless allegations of manipulation, coercion, and holding people against their will, Scientology has never been shut down. In fact, it's only grown stronger. Today, Scientology is worth an estimated $2 billion. [music] It reportedly has members in 159 countries. The founder, Elron Hubard, passed away in 1986, but [music] his teachings still guide the group. The leadership has changed, but the systems remain the same. Scientology promises healing and enlightenment, but for many, it still delivers [music] fear and control.

This next cult was so extreme that SWAT teams had to be called in to rescue children. Kashi Ashram. Most cults use fear to control their followers. Majaya didn't need fear. [music] She used charisma.

"And at that point when I met Ma, I felt like she had something that was resonated in me. I, you know, I fell in love."

The cult began in 1972 [music] when Maga claimed that she had a vision of Jesus. Jesus allegedly told her that all religions were equal. That [music] message changed her life. She began teaching classes about unity, love, and tolerance among religions. People were mesmerized by her.

"The minute I saw her, I thought this is my teacher and I'm going to be with her for the rest of my life."

Within a few years, Ma bought land in Florida and built a community called Kashi Ashram. About 150 followers moved into the retreat with her. In the beginning, many said they had never been happier.

"Since I have moved here, my life [music] has been so much richer than it ever was. I don't want to leave here."

It was supposed to be a community, but soon Majaya started treating it like her kingdom. Majaya started with small demands. She controlled which haircut her followers got and how they dressed. Over time, she started choosing who they could marry. Ma [music] didn't just give suggestions. She arranged the marriages herself. The problem was that in many cases, it [music] was between people who barely knew each other. She also pressured married couples to have children. When those kids were born, she claimed them as her own. I mean, she literally made herself their legal mother. She coerced four mothers into signing their children away to her by falsifying their birth certificates. That meant parents who left the cult couldn't get their children back. Perhaps that was her plan all along. Some desperate parents turned to [music] the police for help. In one case, a SWAT team had to intervene to retrieve children from their compound. Ma also demanded donations from her followers. Followers gave her hundreds of thousands of dollars, believing it was going to [music] charity. Instead, it funded her luxury lifestyle, expensive clothes, jewelry, and cosmetic [music] surgeries. She was also addicted to gambling. Witnesses said she could lose $30,000 [music] in one night at a casino. Then, her most dangerous habit began to take its toll. Majaya used substances, [music] and over time, it made her very erratic. She would lose her temper and assault followers. [music] One man was hospitalized. Others were left with scars. As the violence escalated, members began to leave. They went straight to the police and [music] the press. But before Ma could face the law, tragedy struck. In April 2012, she passed away from cancer. But the cult didn't collapse. It still operates today on the same Florida property she once ruled. They offer yoga classes, spiritual lectures, and retreats. And things are reportedly far more peaceful than [music] they used to be.

This next cult encouraged its followers to become stalkers. Twin Flames Universe. There are millions of people around the world searching for true love. This cult took that desire and twisted it into something [music] dangerous. It convinced thousands that it could connect them with their soulmates, even if it meant destroying their lives to do it. [music] The Twin Flames cult was founded by a couple named Jeff and Shalia. Around 2014, [music] they began posting videos on YouTube. Their message was simple. Everyone has a soulmate created just for them.

"This person was designed for you by God, [music] and you were designed for this person by God to be your eternal companion."

They call this person a twin flame and they [music] made more and more videos promoting this idea of twin flames. Eventually it caught on.

"and then over time they started to get a lot of traction on their channel. They started to get a lot of people watching them and commenting."

Now that people believed in twin flames the [music] new question was how to find theirs. That's when the manipulation started. By 2017 Jeff and Shalia created Twin Flames Universe, a company selling courses to help people find their divine partner. The courses cost anywhere from $111 to $8,888. People didn't just buy the courses, [music] they joined a growing community. It was full of people desperate to find love, and they looked up to Jeff and Chileia as [music] gurus. Members were encouraged to recruit others. They reportedly targeted people with past heartbreak. The company's website was full of success stories. [music] Dozens of couples claimed they found their twin flames through Jeff and Shalia's methods. These success stories encouraged more people to get the courses. Soon, Twin Flames universe was flushed with cash.

"By 2019, Jeff claimed the organization was worth nearly $2 million."

But behind the polished image and love stories, something much darker was forming. Once money and fame entered the picture, the tone changed. Jeff and Chalia stopped acting like mentors. They became rulers. They told followers to cut off family and friends who didn't support the group. Most obeyed. Then came a disturbing new rule. Jeff and Chalia began assigning every member their true twin flame. Sometimes the match was another follower. Other times it was someone outside the group, someone [music] who didn't even know they had been chosen. And if that person wasn't interested, Jeff and Shalia said it didn't matter.

"Jeff Divine instructed members to seemingly pursue their twin flames regardless of interest or existing relationships."

"and followers took that advice to heart. They hunted down anyone whom they believed [music] was meant for them."

"I've heard of many cases of people stalking their twin flame. In one case, a woman recounted in a 2017 Facebook post that her supposed twin flame called her a stalker and threatened police action."

"Instead of telling them to stop, Jeff and Shalia encourage them to keep going."

"It doesn't matter if they block you or even take out a restraining order, Jeff and Shalia instruct you to pursue them no matter what."

As the group grew, the control deepened. Sometimes Jeff and Shalia assigned followers of the same sex as twin flames. When that happened, one member was allegedly ordered to transition genders so that the pairing would fit. Those who refused to change were exiled. For years, these stories flew under the radar. The cult kept growing.

"Twinflames universe has grown from a few hundred members in 2017 to tens of thousands of members around the globe."

As their numbers increased, so did their online presence. More people found them through YouTube, social media, and word of mouth. But the more visible they became, the harder it was to hide what was really going on. At the peak of their success, their empire took a major hit, and it was because of Netflix. In 2023, Netflix released a documentary titled Escaping Twin [music] Flames. It exposed everything, the manipulation, the force transitions, and the psychological control. The series went viral. Soon, police took [music] notice and they began investigating the group.

"Authorities in Michigan have raided two properties linked to the controversial group Twin Flames Universe. As of January 2026, the case is still ongoing."

Despite global backlash and countless testimonies from Axe members, [music] the cult is still very active. They're still selling courses, still preaching, and still promising eternal love. But for many who followed them, the only thing the cult delivered was heartbreak.

This next cult currently has around 12 million members. Right now, Happy Science. The Happy Science cult became famous for a [music] strange reason. Its leader claimed he could talk to the spirits of deceased celebrities. His name was Rayuo Okawa. and that claim turned him into a multi-millionaire [music] cult leader. Before any of this, Okawa tried to become a lawyer in Tokyo. He studied for years, but he failed the exams. Then in 1981, he suddenly gained the ability to channel spirits. At least that's what he claimed. These weren't [music] random spirits. Okawa only channelled the spirits of famous people.

"Some of the spirits he has claimed to [music] speak to are John Lennon, Nelson Mandela, and comic book legend Stanley."

He called these channeling sessions spiritual interviews. He performed them publicly, often in front of journalists. [music]

"Neighbor [screaming] permit intrusion. Attack them."

Through these spirits, Okawa revealed secrets of [music] the universe. He said the universe was full of deities, mythological creatures, and [music] extraterrestrials. He also claimed these entities were responsible for Earth's problems.

"Also, one of the reasons why there are many wars on Earth and why racial [music] conflicts see no end is because reptilians are reptileike space people."

During another channeling session, [music] he said he wasn't just a messenger. He was the supreme deity of the world.

"That's right, Rio Okawa. [music] This guy is the supreme god of earth, more powerful than Jesus, Allah, and Moses combined. He was essentially saying he was God."

But these ideas landed at the perfect time in Japan. In the 1980s, the new age movement was very popular in Japan. People were searching for spiritual answers to everyday problems. Okawa's blend of religion, pop culture, and science fiction resonated with people. So, in 1986, he officially founded Happy Science in Tokyo. Okawa became a celebrity in Japan. Videos of his spiritual interviews attracted huge [music] attention. To grow his influence, he wrote books. He wrote about reptilians, reincarnation, and cosmic politics. One book even listed types of aliens. People bought the books and they bought into his ideas. Over time, he reportedly wrote over 3,000 books.

"Okaba claimed the Guinness World Record for the most books written in one year by one person."

Happy Science also produced anime films to promote their [music] beliefs. All these made the cult wealthy.

"Happy Science's annual income has been gauged at $45 million."

For years, many considered Happy Science a strange but harmless group. They were mostly talking about aliens and lizard people. Then Okawa began talking about politics and overnight his ideas suddenly became dangerous. As Okawa gained influence, he suddenly had a lot to say about politics, [music] health, and other national issues. He urged the Japanese government to prepare for war. He even suggested dropping nukes on neighboring countries. When the COVID pandemic hit, Happy Science claimed the virus was caused by UFOs. To cure it, they sold a spiritual [music] vaccine, which was a set of prayers and rituals to expel spirits. The cult said it worked, but obviously there was no evidence for it. Happy [music] Science expanded even further. They launched their own political party in Japan. Today, the cult allegedly has over 12 million members in over [music] 179 different countries. No one knows how large they're going to get. For now, they continue spreading Okawa's bizarre ideas.

This next cult leader claimed that she created the universe, and a lot of people believed her. Love has won. This cult was founded by Amy Carlson. Her followers believed something extraordinary that Amy was the creator of the universe. They also believed she could travel between dimensions and heal people with her mind. But before she became mother god, Amy worked at McDonald's. Now McDonald's was in Texas where Amy lived with her husband and three kids. In the early 2000s, she became fascinated by new age spirituality. [music] She spent hours online reading about healing, ascension, and self-discovery. Soon she launched a YouTube channel to share her own teachings, which is a [music] strange mix of spirituality and conspiracy. Amy claimed she was 19 billion years old and the creator of the universe.

"And then from there, we began creating universes and planets."

She said her mission was to help humanity ascend from the third dimension to the fifth. Over time, her beliefs became even more bizarre. She talked about the Illuminati, reptilian aliens, and spaceships on Jupiter's moons.

"received telepathic message at 10:51 p.m. Mountain. We are located main control ship of the reptilians on one of Jupiter's moons."

Amy also rejected modern medicine, calling it 3D medicine.

"They refused to call traditional 3D medicine because she's in 5D. She's a god."

Instead, Amy offered her own healing services. She claimed to perform spiritual surgeries. That meant using her mind to remove negative energy and sickness from the body.

"Spiritual surgery where she can take a brain out spiritually and heal the brain and then put it back in the body."

Amy also claimed she could cure cancer, Lyme disease, and autism. Her videos gained thousands of views. Her followers started calling her mother god. By 2014, Amy left her old life behind. She moved to a ranch in Colorado with about 20 followers. Together, they formed a new group called Love is One. The ranch [music] was supposed to be a peaceful retreat, but followers underestimated how hard it was to live with someone who believed she was a god. Everyone on the ranch had to live by mother god's rules. And the first rule was isolation. Amy made everyone cut ties with their families. The love is one cult was now their [music] only family. Then she made them work long hours on the ranch with little sleep. When they weren't working, they made YouTube videos to promote Amy's [music] products. They sold candles, crystals, supplements, and healing sessions. Business was booming.

"I heard talk about money in certain accounts. I was blown away. She claimed in one of them was over $400,000 and another one I heard was $100,000."

But life inside the ranch was getting [music] worse. Amy began drinking heavily. She yelled at followers and punished those who disobey. Her rejection of modern medicine also became more extreme. No one was allowed to visit a doctor, no matter the condition. Amy didn't realize that those same ideas would cost her her life. Whenever one of Amy's followers got sick, she told them [music] to take colloidal silver. It's basically a liquid with silver particles. However, it's promoted on the internet as a dietary supplement, but the FDA warns that it's unsafe to drink. But Amy said it [music] could cure diseases. She was wrong.

"Carlson herself took excessive amounts of colloidal silver. After years of taking it, [music] Amy's body began to fail. Her skin turned bluish silver. She could barely walk. At one point, she begged her followers to take her to the hospital."

"There's been moments where mom has asked us to take her to a 3D hospital."

They refused because she taught them that hospitals were evil.

"They're like, 'Nope. [music] Try to take a surgery. They try to do some crazy.' So, absolutely not."

By early 2021, Amy's body gave out and she passed away. The cause listed was chronic colloidal silver ingestion. [music] But instead of burying her, her followers built a shrine.

"And in the middle of the house, they found a shrine with Amy's mummified body placed [music] at the center of an altar."

Her body remained indoors for weeks. In April 2021, someone finally alerted the police. Officers found Amy's remains wrapped in a sleeping bag covered in Christmas lights.

"I've never seen a group of people be so nonchalant about a person in their back room."

Seven members were arrested for the incident, but the charges were later dropped. Even without Amy, the cult [music] survived. Her most devoted followers renamed it 5D full disclosure. They still post online selling healing [music] products and spreading Amy's teachings. These cults thrive because people stopped thinking for themselves and started following blindly. But remember, the biggest lies always [music] sound like the truth.

Visual venture. Wait, before you guys go, make sure you guys watch part one of this cult series where we talk about a 40-year-old woman who claimed she was a 35,000year-old man, a cult that claims they successfully cloned human babies, and a cult leader that warned members that lizard people would eat them if they left. Click here to watch it. Love you guys. Peace.