The Movement of Spiritual InnerAwareness (or MSIA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religiouscorporation, incorporated in California on June 25, 1971. Beforeincorporation, the group was founded in California in 1968 byJohn-Roger (formerly Roger Delano Hinkins). The church has about5,000 active students in 32 countries, mainly the United States.

History and teachings

MSIA teaches an active meditationtechnique known as Spiritual Exercises (SEs). Chanting specificsacred Sanskrit words internally is part of SEs. In this aspect MSIASEs are similar to Transcendental Meditation (TM) practices. MSIAalso offers its students a twelve-year study support subscriptioncalled Soul Awareness Discourses. Discourses are seen as anopportunity for individuals to connect inwardly with their ownDivinity, each according to their desire and intention. Topicscovered expose students to the teachings of MSIA and educate them tostay focused on their individual spiritual practices and service toothers. Both initiatory tones and personal discourses are deemedsacred to each student individually and are not shared.

The Founder, John-Roger (formerly RogerHinkins) died on October 22, 2014. His successor, John Morton directsthe group. Both have been referred to as the "Traveler".

MSIA considers itself a church in veryfew traditional senses of the word. A deeply ambivalent attitudetowards traditional "religiosity" characterizes the"Movement." While it is legally incorporated as achurch and provides tools and techniques for Soul transcendence forthose who are looking for them, it prohibits members fromevangelizing; it spreads primarily by word of mouth. MSIA has noprogram of building churches or other buildings, giving itsimilarities with other 'churches without walls.' It ordainsministers, but ordains no one to preach or teach, only to be ofservice. Service choices are determined entirely individually. MSIAhas only vague and wide guidelines here.

Soul Transcendence, as defined by MSIA,is the process of becoming aware of yourself as a soul and as onewith God. MSIA considers that its teachings draw primarily on theministry of Jesus Christ ("The Christ Consciousness is thespiritual line of energy under-girding MSIA"); teachingsalso include elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, and the SantMat/Radhasoami tradition.

Founder

Roger Delano Hinkins was born onSeptember 24, 1934, to a Mormon family in Rains, Utah. Hinkins wasraised in Utah and received a Bachelor of Science degree inpsychology from the University of Utah in 1958 before moving to SanFrancisco to work as an insurance claims adjuster before getting ajob teaching English at Rosemead High School in a suburb of LosAngeles.

According to Hinkins' official website, he first attended the University of Utah, receiving a Bachelorof Science degree in psychology in 1958 and a Secondary TeachingCredential in 1960; he later performed post-graduate work at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, the University of SouthernCalifornia and California State University, Los Angeles. Hinkins alsoheld a California Secondary Life Teaching Credential, and a Doctorateof Spiritual Science from the Peace Theological Seminary &College of Philosophy, an unaccredited institution which Hinkinsfounded in 1977.

In the early 1960s, Hinkins took acorrespondence course with the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucisand occasionally attended the Agasha Temple of Wisdom. Eckankarasserts that Hinkins also joined their group in 1967 and was given asecond initiation by its founder Paul Twitchell in 1968 but this isdisputed.

In late 1963, Hinkins underwent akidney stone surgery, which led to a nine-day coma and near-deathexperience. Shortly after this, Hinkins visited two trance-channelersand claimed to have encountered a higher consciousness named 'Johnwithin himself', and began referring to himself as John-Roger.

In 1971 Hinkins formally organized MSIAas a tax-exempt church based in California, United States.

John-Roger died at age 80 on October22, 2014 of pneumonia after several years of poor health.

Related organizations founded byJohn-Roger

Peace Theological Seminary &College of Philosophy (PTS)

University of Santa Monica (USM)

Institute for Individual and WorldPeace (IIWP)

Insight Seminars

Heartfelt Foundation

Mandeville Press

Criticism and controversy

MSIA has been criticized by a varietyof people over the years, but David C. Lane and Peter McWilliams, whoprovide the most substantive body of criticism, both focus on therole of founder John-Roger. The gist of Lane's criticism of Hinkinsis that he used spiritual teachings taken from Paul Twitchell'sEckankar (who in turn took them from Radha Soami Satsang Beas, withwhich Lane is actively involved).

Ex-MSIA Minister Peter McWilliams wroteLife 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You, which was critical ofHinkins. McWilliams also dismisses MSIA as little more than apersonality cult. In his book McWilliams asserts that Hinkinssuffered from narcissistic personality disorder, possibly due to his1963 coma.

McWilliams chronicles his extendedrelationship with Hinkins, accusing him of various misrepresentationsand improprieties. However, McWilliams later agreed to abandon thecopyright to MSIA to settle libel litigation over the contents of thebook, and later asked that the book be removed from circulation in anotarized letter, stating "the content of the book is nolonger one with which I would like to have my name associated."

In his book The Missionary Positionauthor Christopher Hitchens criticizes both Mother Teresa andJohn-Roger for a staged photo shoot where the two posed together in astudio with a blank backdrop. A blurred backdrop of Calcutta's poorwas added later. Hitchens questions the ethics of such a shoot, aswell as Mother Teresa for accepting US$10,000 as part of an"Integrity Award" from MSIA, which he describes ashaving been "exposed in print as corrupt and fanatical".

Cult allegations

MSIA has frequently been accused ofbeing a cult of personality. Whether or not MSIA should be labeled acult is a matter of dispute. Both the movement and its founder havebeen through alleged scandals (published in People Magazine and theLos Angeles Times among other publications) suggesting financialimproprieties as well as sexual misconduct by Hinkins. MSIA gainedwidespread attention during the senatorial campaign of MichaelHuffington, whose wife, Arianna Huffington, denied that she was amember of MSIA.

Notable persons who have studied inMSIA

Several well-known individuals andpublic figures have been involved with MSIA. The most prominent ofthese is Arianna Huffington. Other notable members are the BeachBoys' Carl Wilson, model/actress Jaime King-Newman, actress SallyKirkland, an MSIA minister since 1975, actress Leigh Taylor-Young,also an MSIA minister since 1975, actor Jsu Garcia, and author andmanagement consultant David Allen. Author Peter McWilliams was alsoan MSIA minister but later repudiated MSIA and made a series ofpersonal allegations against MSIA leader John-Roger in his book Life102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Lewis, James R.; Petersen, JesperAagaard. Controversial New Religions. Oxford University Press, NewYork: 2005, pp. 335–336.

John-Roger

CESNUR - The Origins of the Movement ofSpiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA)

University of Virginia Library Archived2007-05-31 at the Wayback Machine

"John-Roger dies at 80; founderof controversial new-age church - Los Angeles Times". LosAngeles Times. 23 October 2014.

Frost, William P. (1992). What Is theNew Age?: Defining Third Millennium Consciousness. Edwin MellenPress. p. 8. ISBN 0-7734-9192-9.

"Archived copy" (PDF).Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2009-02-04.

Hitchens, Christopher (1995). TheMissionary Position. London: Verso. pp. 7, 8. ISBN 1-85984-054-X.

Arianna's Mandatory Cult Meetings

New Yorker profile, October 13 2008

Rolling Stone profile, 4 December 2006

"Arianna's Mandatory CultMeetings".

Bright, Laren. "The Less KnownSide of Sally Kirkland". sallykirkland.com: Sally Kirkland.Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010."on December 4, 1975, Sally was ordained as a minister byMSIA's founder, John-Roger."

King-Newman, Jaime. "SpiritualWarrior: the Art of Spiritual Living - What they're saying".

Mandeville Press. Retrieved 27 March2010. "John-Roger is my teacher and my friend."

Delmonteque, Bob. "LeighTaylor- Young Weaves Spirituality and Service Into Hollywood Life".

Journal of Longevity. 11 (10). Archivedfrom the original on 2010-04-28. Retrieved 27 Mar 2010.

"Leigh became an ordainedminister in the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness(MSIA) in 1975."

"Jsu Garcia Biography".jsugarcia.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved27 March 2010. "One of the most important aspects of Garcia'slife is his dedication to Peace Theological Seminary College ofPhilosophy, for which he and his friend, author John-Roger, havetraveled throughout the world each year for the past nine years in aneffort to bring peace to troubled areas such as Egypt and Israel"

Wolf, Gary (25 Sep 2007). "GettingThings Done Guru David Allen and His Cult of Hyper-efficiency".

Wired Magazine. Condé Nast Digital.pp. Issue 15.10. Retrieved 27 March 2010.

Peter McWilliams, Life 102: What to DoWhen Your Guru Sues You (Prelude Press: Los Angeles, 1994). ISBN0-931580-34-X., pp 6-7.