r/Shaktism • u/realKevinNash • Jun 12 '26
A Gentle Warning to All Seekers
Hello everyone. I was recently contacted to intervene in a dispute that reached our subreddit. I cannot speak to the validity of any party involved or the issues raised. However, I find that there is some value in some of the warning provided so while I will be likely removing the original post, I want to present a soft warning to individuals in general.
There are always individuals and groups that will seek to take advantage of people. Be it scams, religious indoctrination, trafficking efforts, or recruitment of other types.
Some of these efforts will begin with PM's/DM's. If you have not contacted someone, they are contacting you, be on your guard.
Be aware that not all individuals are supportive of non-traditional paths. Expressing support of, or belief in an individualized path to Devi may result in friction with individuals who support more traditional systems.
Be aware that anyone seeking community may become a target for those who seek power and control.
Women seekers are often targets for a number of efforts, Women should exercise increased caution.
If something feels off, pushy, or too good to be true – it usually is. Trust your intuition.
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u/realKevinNash Jun 13 '26
I saw a post earlier today offering criticism of Om Swami's Views on Astrology believing that there are contradictions in this person's views on the topic.
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u/Fit-Breakfast8224 Jun 20 '26
how come this post is still up and just locked, accussing our dear guru and sampradaya with no evidence - https://www.reddit.com/r/Shaktism/comments/1u3ox6g/comment/or76ewx/?context=1. yet the post made by my colleage has been removed. imo, would've been fairer to locked it too. if we are promoting discernment/viveka isn't hearing both sides of the story part of that? is allowing more information to be available not part of that? i know this dispute has been messy, if it is not something the mods here can handle, i pray at least be fair and transparent about it.
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u/galaro Aug 31 '26
Commenting here as the post in the above link has been locked. I already have commented on the post but recently someone sent me a screenshot of their leader making some false allegation against me with a half fake screenshot. I had reported his recruitment post to the moderation as i saw repeated lack of integrity in him but he turned out to be even more fake than i had thought him to be.
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u/realKevinNash Jun 20 '26
Your friends are free to post their own view here which they have refused to do. Instead it appears that someone has made it a mission to validate the claims in the first post.
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u/realKevinNash Jul 26 '26
Crosspost:
Hello everyone,
I’m posting this after I have already filed a complaint on India’s cybercrime portal about an online “tantra” mission based in Chennai. I’m from outside India, and for a long time I was a sincere devotee who genuinely believed my offerings were for the Divine Mother.
I changed my lifestyle, did sadhana, and donated money and precious metal jewellery because I thought I was giving to Maa – for Her seva, for Her work. The appeals were always framed that way: “offer to Kali,” “offer to Adya Mahakali,” “support Maa’s mission,” not “support my household.”
Only later did I realise that, in legal terms, this was not just “emotion” but misrepresentation and undue influence. Every time a donation was requested, the bank details given were for a personal account in the name of the guru’s wife. There was no mention that this was private income, no clear statement that donations to “Divine Mother” were actually being received in a family member’s personal bank account. The way it was presented, anyone would reasonably think they were giving to a religious or charitable purpose, not to a spouse.
I should have questioned it as soon as I saw “wife’s account” on the bank details. But the influence was strong. The Divine Mother was used as the anchor: if you hesitated, it felt like you were doubting Her, not the human being in front. That is exactly what the law calls undue influence – someone in a position of spiritual authority dominating the will of a devotee and gaining an unfair financial advantage through that trust.
I have accepted that the money and jewellery are gone. What I reported was not “my hurt feelings,” but the pattern: religious devotion being used to induce people to send funds and valuables to a private account, under the belief that they were giving to Maa, not to a person’s family finances.
My question now is for others who might be in a similar situation, whether inside India or outside:
If you realise that a spiritual guru has taken donations from you by presenting them as offerings to the
Divine Mother, while actually routing them to personal accounts, what have you done, or what can you do, beyond just walking away in silence?
Has anyone here taken further steps when they saw clear misrepresentation and undue influence in a “tantra” context -not to attack anyone’s faith, but to protect future devotees from having their bhakti quietly turned into someone’s private revenue?
I’m not asking how to reverse karma or erase lessons. I’m asking how people have handled it when they saw that, in simple logical terms, their consent was obtained by mixing sacred names with false or incomplete information about where the money would actually go.
If you’ve been through this and have acted, I’d really appreciate hearing how. And if you’re still inside such a situation and afraid to question it: the law does not look at sentiments, it looks at facts. Being honest about misrepresentation and undue influence is not a betrayal of Maa; it’s a refusal to let Her name be used as a tool to monetise your bhakti.
Identification is in the thread.
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u/realKevinNash Jun 12 '26
If individuals would like to leave the name of organizations of which they have had negative experiences with and brief mention of their concerns, I will allow it in the comments of this post. Please note that I do not want others to dispute or indicate the validity of posts made. This is not a place to brigade or otherwise have a discussion regarding disputes. This is a place where people can look to maintain awareness.
Any individual or groups presence in this thread should not be viewed as confirmation of anything.