The Gentle Wind Project ripoff medical fraud channeling health fraud healing instruments instrument keepers emotional healing Kittery Maine

Office of the Maine Attorney General
http://www.maine.gov/ag/

"A Message from Attorney General Steve Rowe About Reimbursement for Healing Instruments Purchased from The Gentle Wind Project


"The Attorney General is pleased to announce the beginning of a 6-month claims period during which the Office of the Attorney General will accept claims for reimbursement, or restitution, from consumers who purchased any healing instrument from The Gentle Wind Project between January 1, 2003 and September 14, 2006.

"In order to be eligible for restitution, claims must be in writing, and must include the following information: 1) the name of the instrument purchased; 2) date of purchase; 3) cost; and 4) proof of payment. Proof of payment may be in the form of a cancelled check, an invoice, or any other document that shows that the item was purchased during the relevant time period. Claims must be submitted no later than October 20, 2007 to:

Assistant Attorney General Carolyn A. Silsby
Office of the Maine Attorney General
6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0006
207-626-8829

"Each claimant will be notified of the decision on his or her claim after the expiration of the claim period. Those who are entitled to restitution will be paid on a pro rata basis from a fund set up for that purpose pursuant to a Consent Decree and Order issued on August 15, 2006 by the Maine Superior Court in State of Maine and Attorney General v. The Gentle Wind Project, et al."

They're back: Gentle Wind Project Morphs to Family Systems Research Group (FSRG)

John Tubby Miller and Mary Moe Miller's Newest Enterprise?

Typical of cultic groups when exposed, in GWP's case by the Maine Attorney General,* the leaders will change stripes in name or location and pitch, to maintain control over followers, attract new recruits, and keep the money flowing.

* (See www.windofchanges.org for the Maine AG's lawsuit against the Millers and the AG's Consent Decree that put GWP out of business forever in Maine and took away their assets)

Now we have a new organization called Family Systems Research Group, described in their publicity as pick[ing] up where GWP technology leaves off....; seemingly consisting of the same cast of characters who signed the AG's Consent Decree. Little has changed beyond the defensive disclaimers and sales now based on price (mostly *) instead of donations in the marketing of their wares. Surprisingly, they are still calling themselves researchers.

* (On the last page of the attached FSRG description, we learn that a portion of each fee goes directly to the work of The Gentle Wind Project....)


They still have healing instruments (now called I Ching alignment instruments, selling for $365 to $6,260); telepathic healings (now distant alignments); and offer phone consultations [that]...may have a transformational effect.... The consultations seem to hearken back to the soul readings GWP promoted in the early 80s (which they claimed to channel exclusively from the spirit world).

And, amazingly, hair samples and astrology * (now behavioral astronomy and hexagram profiles) are back which is where GWP's Tubby Miller and Moe Miller (then Claudia Panuthos AKA Mary Elizabeth Carreiro) and Tubby's five female housemates, at that time, first began. Oddly, another GWP dinosaur has been resuscitated transactional analysis.

* (Consumer note: You can download the astrology program used by FSRG for $400, or much less, and run it on your home computer indefinitely, plugging in each client's date and time of birth, etc. See http://www.aureas.com the URL on FSRG's charts. Nevertheless, the smart people at FSRG sell charts to each client starting at $250 for phase 1 and offer 3 phases for a total of $700.)


The authors of FSRG's description are identified by the term, WE. Thus, former followers of GWP assume that Tubby and Moe continue to think they're speaking for the spirits.

These approaches worked successfully for the Millers in the past, yielding GWP's nonprofit millions of dollars (see GWP IRS Form 990s on windofchanges), so here we go again. As they say in the world of recovery, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Some of us have learned that lesson.


GWP / FSRG Address Update: According to the newest website for the Millers' GWP, gentlewindproject, their address is now in Starks, NV. However, Family Systems Research Group's sales material lists an address in Portsmouth, NH (no website available) at the same mail-drop location used by the Millers during their failed Federal and State lawsuits against Jim Bergin, Judy Garvey, Rick Ross, Ian Mander, Steve Gamble, Ivan Fraser, and Steve Hassan.

The Maine AG's Consent Decree prohibits GWP from operating in Maine, and the GWP leaders from ever running another Maine nonprofit. However, GWP (as Gentle Wind Retreat) is listed as a nonprofit just across the river in the state of New Hampshire. If you have questions about this, you might contact New Hampshire's Attorney General Kelly Ayotte at http://doj.nh.gov 33 Capitol St., Concord, NH 03301 (603) 271-3658.

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to announce that the Millers et al, and Gentle Wind Project, are now permanently Becalmed by a Lawsuit Settlement.

This victory for us former members of GWP also represents a victory for freedom of speech for former members of all such groups.

Our full statement about the end of GWP's lawsuits is at our "Wind of Changes" site.

At the last minute (trial was scheduled to begin December 4th) we wrote the terms for a Settlement Agreement that was requested by John "Tubby" Miller and Mary "Moe" Miller (AKA Panuthos/Carreiro), co-founders of GWP, and their co-plaintiffs. The agreement ends 2 ? years of lawsuits against us.

In an about turn from the GWP leaders' determined verbiage in 2004 that they would take their case "to the Supreme Court" to force removal of our Internet stories, the Settlement Agreement insures that we will continue to operate, without interference of any kind, our website, "Wind of Changes."

Perhaps it became clear to the Millers that other GWP ex-members intended to appear in person to testify about their own experiences, and that experts would testify that the Millers' exhibited classic cult behavior.

Bergin and Garvey's distinguished experts included Cult Expert, Dr. Cathleen Mann, PhD, and Dr. Arthur Dole, PhD, ABPP, Expert: Psychological Research and Cultic Groups.

Following the Millers' settlement request, the GWP Court Receiver has also signed an Agreement with us on behalf of the GWP Estate (which was still included in the lawsuit after GWP was put out of business and into Receivership in August 2006 by the Maine Attorney General). We will receive "an undisclosed amount" from the Receiver to resolve the lawsuit and resolve our claim for reimbursement to the GWP Estate.

Much more important than the money, we provided an essential service to the public by telling the truth about our experiences with GWP, and we balanced out some of the effects of what we caused for people while we were influenced by GWP's belief system.

At each stage of defending ourselves, we became freer of the effects of our involvement with GWP. As a result, even though we were immersed in defending against their very aggressive lawsuits, we were able to reclaim our lives again.

We are grateful to everyone who wished us well and assisted us during this long process. Particular thanks go to Special Investigations Agency for investigating and reporting about Gentle Wind Project, and to this board for maintaining an archive of opinions and events.

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to announce that the Millers et al, and Gentle Wind Project, are now permanently Becalmed by a Lawsuit Settlement.

This victory for us former members of GWP also represents a victory for freedom of speech for former members of all such groups.

Our full statement about the end of GWP's lawsuits is at our "Wind of Changes" site.

At the last minute (trial was scheduled to begin December 4th) we wrote the terms for a Settlement Agreement that was requested by John "Tubby" Miller and Mary "Moe" Miller (AKA Panuthos/Carreiro), co-founders of GWP, and their co-plaintiffs. The agreement ends 2 ? years of lawsuits against us.

In an about turn from the GWP leaders' determined verbiage in 2004 that they would take their case "to the Supreme Court" to force removal of our Internet stories, the Settlement Agreement insures that we will continue to operate, without interference of any kind, our website, "Wind of Changes."

Perhaps it became clear to the Millers that other GWP ex-members intended to appear in person to testify about their own experiences, and that experts would testify that the Millers' exhibited classic cult behavior.

Bergin and Garvey's distinguished experts included Cult Expert, Dr. Cathleen Mann, PhD, and Dr. Arthur Dole, PhD, ABPP, Expert: Psychological Research and Cultic Groups.

Following the Millers' settlement request, the GWP Court Receiver has also signed an Agreement with us on behalf of the GWP Estate (which was still included in the lawsuit after GWP was put out of business and into Receivership in August 2006 by the Maine Attorney General). We will receive "an undisclosed amount" from the Receiver to resolve the lawsuit and resolve our claim for reimbursement to the GWP Estate.

Much more important than the money, we provided an essential service to the public by telling the truth about our experiences with GWP, and we balanced out some of the effects of what we caused for people while we were influenced by GWP's belief system.

At each stage of defending ourselves, we became freer of the effects of our involvement with GWP. As a result, even though we were immersed in defending against their very aggressive lawsuits, we were able to reclaim our lives again.

We are grateful to everyone who wished us well and assisted us during this long process. Particular thanks go to Special Investigations Agency for investigating and reporting about Gentle Wind Project, and to this board for maintaining an archive of opinions and events.

Gentle Wind Project and the GWP leaders -- the Millers -- have signed a Consent Decree with the Maine Attorney General, which put their "nonprofit" out of business in Maine, turned over all GWP assets to the Attorney General, and set up a system to provide refunds to people who purchased GWP "healing" products.

Details about this are readily available on the Internet, so we won't repeat it all here. However, anyone who would like to file a claim might be interested in the following public notice:

PUBLIC NOTICE:

NOTICE OF RECEIVERSHIP OF THE GENTLE WIND PROJECT AND THE NEED TO FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on August 16, 2006, the York County Superior Court issued an order for the appointment of a Receiver to liquidate the assets of "The Gentle Wind Project, f/k/a The Gentle Wind Retreat" with locations in Kittery, Maine, and Durham, New Hampshire. The Court Order requires all persons or entities that assert claims against "The Gentle Wind Project" must do so in writing to John C. Turner, Receiver, J.C. Turner & Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 1897, Auburn, Maine, 04211-1897, by 4 p.m., February 28th, 2007. The claim together with documentation in support of the claim must be filed by February 28th, 2007, date or the claim will be disallowed. Claims will be acknowledged and a claim numbers will be assigned by the Receiver. After all claims have been submitted and reviewed and the date to submit claims has passed, claimants will be advised of the disposition of the claims submitted. Any questions concerning the submission of claims can be directed to John C. Turner, Receiver, at (207) 514-7371. Sincerely, John C. Turner, in his capacity as Receiver of The Gentle Wind Project. Dated: September 13, 2006 2539979

Portland Press Herald on Saturday, 09/23/2006:

WMTW, USA
July 14, 2006

(((ROR REDACTED LINK FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))

AUGUSTA, Maine -- The Maine Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit against a controversial Kittery-based nonprofit group.

The Gentle Wind Project designs and sells what it calls "healing instruments" that it said solve a variety of physical and emotional ailments.

Others said the group is a scam.

The attorney general's office accused the group of falsely claiming that their products had healing qualities and of considering the income from their sale as charitable donations rather than sales proceeds.

Prosecutors want the Gentle Wind Project to liquidate its assets, pay the state's legal fees and refund anyone who bought items between 2000 and the present.



CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

Scheduling for Gentle Wind Project and the Millers' Latest Lawsuit, as of May 1, 2006:

The latest in the Gentle Wind Project's et al lawsuits against Judy Garvey, Jim Bergin, et al is scheduled for trial in October or November 2006 in York County (Maine State) Superior Court, Alfred, ME.

This new GWP Maine State lawsuit follows upon GWP / the Millers' et al dismissal from Maine U.S. District Court where they filed their first lawsuit in May 2004. On January 6, 2006, Senior District Judge Gene Carter granted Bergin and Garvey's "Motion for Summary Judgment" on GWP's RICO (racketeering) claim ? the only Federal claim that remained in GWP's convoluted lawsuit against multiple defendants. Judge Carter further ordered that the Millers et al remaining claims (state claims, such as defamation) also be dismissed from Federal Court.

The Millers' second attempt at a Federal claim ? the Lanham Act ? had been dismissed early in their Federal lawsuit by Judge Carter. In fact, the U.S. Magistrate Judge dismissed GWP's entire lawsuit initially, and then the Millers quickly filed an Amended Claim and squeaked by on a technicality for the RICO claim, which required an additional year of motions, depositions, etc, before it was summarily dismissed in January.

Gentle Wind Project's and the Miller's newest lawsuit ? their state claims that were dismissed from Federal Court ? will be heard by Maine Superior Court Justice G. Arthur Brennan and by a Maine jury. According to the Court schedule, the Millers have one opportunity for a settlement offer prior to trial. After that, they'll "have their day in court" on what they initiated two years ago against Garvey, Bergin, and other defendants.

GWP leaders filing the lawsuit are John?AKA "Tubby" Miller; Moe?AKA Mo, Olivia, Claudia Panuthos, Mary Elizabeth Carreiro/Panuthos/Silver/Carreiro/Miller); Carol-AKA Max, Mapes Miller; Shelly?AKA Dianne, Mugsie, Shelbourne (Boyce/Koster/Miller); Pam?AKA Colleen Ranheim; Joan Carreiro; and Gentle Wind Project.

The facts, and the basis for even more facts to be presented at a trial, have already been "discovered" during depositions of each plaintiff (John "Tubby" Miller and all the women living with him), and from one non-plaintiff (another woman who is a long-term GWP member / "instrument keeper?).

Jim and Judy also had depositions taken by the Millers' attorneys, as did Jim and Judy's expert witnesses. These depositions are available to the public through the U.S. District Court PACER website, and are quoted, in part, in the Motion for Summary Judgment (Jim and Judy's successful Motion that ended the GWP Federal lawsuit) and accompanying Statement of Material Facts, and in Judge Gene Carter's Order to dismiss GWP's Federal claims. These documents are also available at the public interest website for former GWP members/"instrument keepers" ? "Wind of Changes" -- the website that the Millers are attempting to eliminate through their lawsuits.

A copy of the Millers' et al latest lawsuit is at "Wind of Changes." Jim and Judy's Answer and Counterclaims, including defamation, filed against the Millers et al, are also posted there.

The Alfred, Maine courthouse isn't large by big city standards, but seating is open to the public should anyone wish to get a close-up view of the Gentle Wind Project and the Millers' offense/defense this fall.
____________________________


Rather than filing Motions for Dismissal or Summary Judgment to end the Miller's new Maine State lawsuit, it is important for Bergin and Garvey to go to trial since there are contested facts. A few examples:

-- The Millers et al contend that Judy and Jim defamed them by reporting ? in their personal stories about 17 years as followers, ?instrument keepers,? and board members of the Millers' Gentle Wind Project ? that there was group sexual activity (called "energy work") among the leaders and female followers and that followers were told that this "energy work" would bring in designs for new GWP "healing instruments" from the "spirit world" to the GWP leader, John "Tubby" Miller. The Millers et al have each denied, under oath during depositions, that group sexual activity of any kind took place among GWP leaders and an inner group of GWP followers.

-- The Millers et al also deny that Gentle Wind Project is a cult, and they claim in their promotional material that they have "clinical research" on the effectiveness of their "healing instruments" and that this "research" meets scientific standards. Based on their personal experiences with GWP, Jim and Judy disagree with the Millers' denials, and have also shown how the GWP so-called research is anecdotal and/or conducted by GWP believers / ?instrument keepers.? This is described in Jim and Judy's personal reports, "Insiders' Stories," and "A Husband's Perspective."
____________________________


Jim and Judy are being represented by skilled attorneys of Drummond, Woodsum & MacMahon, Portland, ME ? Jerrol Crouter, Esq., Managing Director of the firm, and Brian Willing, Esq.

They have also received excellent pro bono legal assistance from, among others, The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. Together, these defense attorneys won the Motion for Summary Judgment against GWP/the Millers.

The Millers et al are represented by Portland law firm Verrill & Dana (James Goggin, Esq., Dan Rosenthal, Esq., Suzannah Pogue, Esq.) to file their "convoluted" (in the words of Senior District Judge Gene Carter) lawsuits against Jim Bergin, Judy Garvey, and originally against Rick Ross of Rick Ross Institute, Steve Gamble of Equilibra, Ian Mander of New Zealand Cult List, Ivan Fraser of The Truth Campaign, and Steve Hassan of Freedom of Mind ? all of whom have public service websites where Bergin and Garvey's original stories or links were posted, or other opinions about Gentle Wind Project.

Ian Mander of New Zealand Cult List was also sued again by GWP/ the Millers in their newest Maine State lawsuit, and has not responded; repeating his seemingly complete disregard for their continuous lawsuits from his vantage point in New Zealand ? where the legal system apparently discourages lawsuits by sanctioning litigious Plaintiffs who are shown to be misusing the law.

Jim and Judy very much appreciate contributions to their legal defense fund ? any amount is gratefully accepted. The Millers' continuous and relentless litigious outpourings have been dragged on now for two years.

Thank you,

Jim Bergin

This is all very helpul information. I was reading this book "Natural Cures" and the site for The gentle wind project was mentioned in his book. So I logged on to the gentle wind site to see what exactly this was and I did not really understand what the card were to do and how they actually worked but, I printed one of them out and did what it said and did not feel anyway. I investigated further and found out that this could be some kind of cult, and good thing I did not call the number to see what the cards were all about. I don't want to be on any mailing list they have to offer.

I just find it weird that in the "Natural Cures" book that Kevin Trudeau would mention this company. Does this mean he is in this cult also or perhaps he is a supporter of this organization. He does have a deep look in his eyes. I truly think by doing what the cards say give you a moment of time for your body to relax and give yourself a better concentration as to what you need to do. In this day in age everything is fast paced and any little thing that could help you slow down and think clearly will win anyone over. Personally the cards to me are just a time out for me to relax and slow down, which could be accomplised just by sitting down and closing your eyes. No need to hold a piece of paper unless it has some kind of magical powers that fix everything. Anyways any other information to any of this is very helpful if posted here. Boy there is so much crap out there for the consumers!

The Millers/Ranheim/Carreiro and their GWP are back --following their defeat in federal court --and have re-filed their lawsuit in Maine state court against Jim Bergin, Judy Garvey, and also, oddly, against Ian Mander, Editor of New Zealand Cult List.

Filing in state court means that the Millers will need to start all over again with their claims and legal expenses.

The Millers' original federal claims against us are dismissed, so not a part of their new lawsuit.

We have now filed "Answer to Amended Complaint and Counterclaims" in Maine state court against GWP, the Millers, Ranheim, and Carreiro. This can be read at Wind of Changes website.

The new court schedule has yet to be set.

On January 3, 2006 we received the long-awaited news that Senior District Judge Gene Carter granted our Motion for Summary Judgment on the Gentle Wind Project's RICO (racketeering) claim -the only Federal claim that remained in GWP's lawsuit against us. Judge Carter's Order is an intriguing and educational read for anyone interested in the preservation of free speech on the Internet, and is available on Wind of Changes, the website for former members of GWP.

Judge Carter further ordered that GWP's lawsuit Counts III through VII against us (the state claims, such as defamation) be dismissed from Federal Court.

A large victory was also granted to Ian Mander of New Zealand Cult List, one of our many co-defendants originally sued by GWP leaders. (Other co-defendants included Rick Ross, Steve Gamble, Ivan Fraser, and Steve Hassan.) Judge Carter dismissed GWP's claims against Mander, and denied their motion for default judgment against him. Ian Mander won this judgment without spending a dime on defense.

The entire GWP lawsuit has now been completely dismissed from Federal Court.

Tubby and Moe Miller et al could appeal the Federal decision to a higher Federal court if they wish to contest the Judge's opinion. Since the Courts favor the plaintiffs, it is rare to have an MSJ granted. Such a decision would mean that the Judge is very certain of the legal correctness of his decision.

The Millers have already re-filed their lawsuit in Maine state court against Jim Bergin, Judy Garvey, and also, oddly, Ian Mander, Editor of New Zealand Cult List. Filing in state court means that they need to start all over again.

We have also filed our Counterclaims against GWP, the Millers et al.

If the purpose of the Millers' Federal lawsuit was to silence us and others, it was an incorrect use of the legal system requiring vast amounts of donors' money. As Carl Starrett, Esq., moderator of the Gentle Wind Victims' Forum stated, "GWP must have spent several hundred thousand dollars in legal fees and they came up empty."

In addition to the correct application of the law for us, the Federal Court decision is an extremely important decision for anyone who believes in an individual's right to speak freely about personal experiences, and to share information of public importance through the Internet without fear of being intimidated, sued, silenced, and harmed financially. Judge Carter's decision impacts anyone who writes about a group, job, corporation, or agency that they at one time had a relationship with, sends email concerning these opinions, or posts supportive commentary. It marks an achievement for advocates of freedom of speech on the web and elsewhere in society.

We are very grateful for the support and encouragement from a wide variety of individuals and institutions, including the pro bono assistance on the RICO defense by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard Law School that we have received throughout this process.

Stay tuned!

A federal judge in Maine dismissed the entire lawsuit that the Gentle Wind Project ("GWP") had filed against two former members. Judy Garvey and James Bergin are former members of GWP who maintain a website call Wind of Changes that is highly critical of GWP and its practices.

GWP accused the defendants of "racketeering", but the court found there was not enough evidence to support this claim. After ruling against GWP on the federal racketeering claims, it no longer had jurisdiction over claims based on state law and dismissed the entire lawsuit.

Atlhough GWP could appeal the ruling and/or refile the claims in state court, this is an impressive and important victory for the truth and free speech.

Holy Cow! GW Claims to Heal Pakistan!
All the victims need is a card in hand.

No large fee. Now isn't that generous.
How can anyone say our self-promotion is disingenuous?

Every time there is a natural tragedy,
GW is always ready to get some notoriety.

We scan the news for a big earthquake,
In hopes to find another GW project news break.

Hold our card and smile for the camera,
And say the right thing or our lawyers will get on ya.

There is lots more healing we have left.
So we need to research disasters with our brand new Corvette.

All other groups saving the Planet you know are phony.
Bet our plastic cards beat Madonna's Kabbalah baloney!

And don't forget you have nothing to lose.
We can even save more than Tom Cruise.

For us working this Planet we have no choices,
We think, in our heads, we keep hearing voices:


"Ding-a-ling!" "Oh, Santa, is that you?"

. . . .

Don't forget our Happy Holiday Hockey Puck Special Two-for-One Sale!
And telepathic Holiday healings and aura cleansings at half price.*

The first 100 calls with a $10,000 order or more will skip cycle of reincarnation, and receive free shipping!

Hurry! Offer ends by April 1st; don't be fooled by similar cheap plastic imitations.

Visa be with us, Moe and All, & Tiny Tubby, too.


* Make your Happy Holiday Donation NOW,
in time for your '05 tax deductions.

We've learned that a trial -- if there is one --for the remaining Federal claim in the Millers/Ranheim/Carreiro/gwp lawsuit against us won't take place until February or April of 2006. Previously scheduled for December, the case has now been taken off the Court's schedule while the Judge rules on our Motion for Summary Judgment (MSJ). The MSJ ruling is expected in mid-October or later.

Should the Judge rule to accept our MSJ, gwp/the Millers' et al Federal claim would be over, and no trial would be needed. The Judge would then decide what should happen with gwp/the Millers' et al state claims of defamation, etc.

Either way is fine with us. In the meantime, the calendar change allows us to get on with more important matters in our lives without legal distractions.

he public notice about this change follows:

**********
Full docket text for document 122:

NOTICE - Counsel please be advised, due to the pending motion for summary judgment, this case will not be placed on Judge Carter's December Trial List. Counsel should note, once there has been a ruling on the pending motion for summary judgment, if appropriate, this case will be placed on Judge Carter's next available trial list.

The lighthearted touch about the lawsuit is much appreciated. Humor is a very effective antidote to being sued! The Gentle Wind lawsuit has been a long process, beginning with the Millers' verbiage in December 2003, then their filing of the lawsuit against multiple co-defendants, including us, and continuing today.

However, we have now completed the "discovery" phase in the gwp lawsuit. This included depositions (questioning, under oath), in respective attorneys' offices, of the gwp plaintiffs and us.

For each deposition we traveled to Portland, ME (three hours from our home) taking our places across the table from whichever gwp plaintiff(s) was there so that we could bear witness to whatever they chose to say in response to questions about their belief system, their operations, the personal stories we wrote that are now part of our Wind of Changes website, and their opinions about us (Don't ask!).

We were also deposed by the plaintiffs' attorney who did his best to search for deeper meanings in our stories. And, our expert witnesses were also deposed one expert witness dealing with the "research" claims gwp plaintiffs make about their "healing
instruments" and the second expert witness speaking to the term "cult" being used in reference to gwp.

The plaintiffs' lawsuit is on hold for a few weeks until their lawyer responds to the Summary Judgment Motion we filed. If our Motion is accepted by the Judge, the remaining Federal charge (RICO)would be dismissed. The plaintiffs could then decide whether to start all over with their state charges against us (such as the so-
called "libel"), and we could proceed with our Counterclaims.

If the Judge moves to let the jury decide the case, we will have our time in Court perhaps as early as December. This would be incredibly interesting for anyone who could find a seat in the Maine District Courthouse.

We have many positive things in our lives to balance this out -- for which we are very grateful -- and are prepared and quite willing to
go to trial if that's what needs to happen.

Jim and Judy

As some of you know, the Gentle Wind Project ("GWP") filed a lawsuit in federal court in Maine against a number of its critics. The two remaining defendants just filed a Motion for Summary Judgment ("MSJ"). I've ready some of the depositio testimony and these people are crazier that I thought. Here is some tidbits from the depostion

GWP manufactures healing instruments, which it claims restore human beings to a natural state of existence."


GWP claims that the healing instruments heal the "etheric structure", which is an energy field around each person, and stands about eight feet high and four feet wide. The healing technology is communicated in the form of design blueprints through telepathic impressions received by plaintiff John Miller from the Spirit World.

GWP claims that the individual plaintiffs have the ability to see the etheric structure around each of us, and also claims the ability to perform telepathic healings, which it
has performed on thousands of people.

And this claim is my favorite:

GWP claims, at the direction of the Spirit World, to have telepathically-healed 18 to 20 members of the Soviet Politburo, thereby effecting the fall of the Soviet Union.

I always thought that the Soviet Union fell because of the economic pressure brought on by Reagan's foreign policy and the moral leadership of Pope John Paul II. Little did I know that it was actually telepathic healings of technology form the Spirit World.

The absurdity of these claims speaks for itself. And they have the never to sue in federal court?

The recent news of Scientology and other so-called healer groups, including Gentle Wind, going to disaster areas to provide "relief" with their healing "technology" is appalling. The purpose of this self-proclaimed aid is to promote the image and agenda of these groups at the expense of victims of natural and unnatural disasters, and has even resulted in a new descriptive term indicative of the exploitation of our times trauma tourism.

Anyone, including myself, who has experienced people under severe trauma, understands that while people respond positively to sympathetic attention indeed, almost any attention their real need is to receive basic necessities in the form of food, medical care, and shelter, not Kabbala water and plastic pucks. These basic needs continue for years and are not resolved by kind words and plastic and paper gadgets.

Members of these groups handing out this colorful "magic" have a "feel good" experience, smiles for the camera, and provide public relations opportunities for their groups. The only people they really help are themselves.

Aside from the real placebo effect of the kindness of strangers (assuming some trauma tourists are so motivated), or aide workers (who remain and help put lives back together in spite of being given "plastic and paper" distractions), this is altogether a detour from what is needed.

The real aide workers are the legitimate relief agencies who organize vast resources and remain for years, long after pubic attention and media have moved on.

The Trauma Tourists with their healing water, gadgets, and "crisis counseling" without credentials, waiting for the next photo ops, should be stopped.

Although I doubt the would ever have the the gall to actually come out here, but San Diego is a nice place to visit. I suppose it would be a nice vacation for their attorneys, but a waste of their resources.

Here's one that's humorous, tragic, or both, depending on one's perspective and situation. It's from "The High Weirdness Project"
about "The Gentle Wind Project." No joke!

______________________

"The High Weirdness Project"
http://www.modemac.com/cgibin/wiki.pl/Gentle_Wind_Project


Good "Bob," it's the Scientology of New Age cults! L. Ron Hubbard developed what he called a "science of the mind" and backed it up with ridiculous "e-meters" that are meant to measure your thetans (or your soul).

Following in the footsteps of mighty L. Ron, the Gentle Wind Project (located in Kittery, Maine) has developed what it calls "Instruments...that would alleviate most negative human conditions, along with telepathic abilities to transmit these healings to anyone." (Telepathic abilities?!?)

What's more, this marvelous technology "comes from the Spirit World, not
the human world." So rather than basing their technology on maudlin human-based science, these marvelous healing devices get their energy from the "spirit world."

And what is this great, marvelous healing technology provided by the Gentle Wind Project? Hockey pucks! Dr. David Touretzky of Carnegie-
Mellon University has examined the "healing" devices provided by the Gentle Wind Project, and he found that they are little more than
hockey pucks filled with sand. This doesn't mean that these healing devices don't perform the miraculous healing that the Gentle Wind
Project claims they do ... it's just a matter of faith.

How come that little word faith always pops up when New Age "holistic" idiots can't offer a reasonable scientific explanation for what their miraculous widgets do?

You may want to look at Dr. Touretzky's "Holy Healing Hockey Pucks" Web page http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Gentle-Wind/index.html,
though. It provides a detailed examination of these devices.

But there's another reason to compare these guys to Scientology: not only do they produce ridiculous "healing" devices, they also file
lawsuits against their critics. A web site critical of the Gentle Wind Project, has been
sued by the Gentle Wind Project, though they are fighting back as best they can.
_________________

The cost to the gentle wind group, and the defendants, to move this case forward through the discovery phase, has got to be adding up, especially for gentle wind. For the gentle wind and their donors, they should be considering what the return will be from their six figure legal costs paid for by donated funds intended for nonprofit use.

No matter what amount of donated money is used by gentle wind in their litigation, nothing will change, since the information they have been trying to silence now has a life of its own and will not go away.

In fact, the litigation itself becomes a source of information about gentle wind, and, if brought to public trial, the media attention alone will most certainly cast gentle wind in even more bad light, intensifying what has already happened to them.

In sum, this appears to be a no-win situation (except for the lawyers) for both the plaintiffs and defendants, but if the score is kept on the basis of public attention brought to questions about gentle wind and other groups, then the defendants win. The idea of gentle wind collecting damages on the Rico charge is worthy of a "Darth Vader" fantasy.

The farce be with you!

Things may have seemed quiet lately regarding GWP's lawsuit, but we're managing to keep busy. The current status of their litigation is:

-- Plaintiffs (GWP, John Miller, Mary Miller, Carol Miller, Shelly Miller, Pam Ranheim, and Joan Carreiro) have issued, as part of "discovery" a request for "production of documents" from Defendants (Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey).

-- Plaintiffs (GWP, the four Millers, Ranheim, and Carreiro) have issued a list of "interrogatories" (questions) to be responded to by Defendants (Jim and Judy).

-- Defendants (Judy and Jim) have requested "documents" from Plaintiffs (GWP, the 4 Millers, Ranheim, and Carreiro).

-- More to come...

This part of gwp's litigation and our defense is where the facts of the case begin to come out. At this point the legal process becomes more rational and reality based, and aside from being somewhat time-consuming, is actually an interesting experience.

And spring in Downeast Maine always brings a boost of energy! :-)))))

Judy Garvey & Jim Bergin
Blue Hill, ME

Wind of Changes
(website for former members of GWP)

Here they are folks! Don't blink. THEY DON'T WORK! But in our great country, the consumer is free to choose how and from whom he or she purchases their products even if they are being taken advantage of by some charlatan who is living high on the hog. They are not bad for believing in them, they are just incorrect.

Now that we sold the old Research Banjo,
We need to look real as part of the show.

We'll clean up our web site to look tres cool,
So browsers won't think that it's Ding-Dong School.

Mr. T, with a grin, "more energy work?"
Oh, keep it down, that's not a public perk.

Let's put out a story that will last for awhile.
Hey, how 'bout a GW-style "clinical trial?"

Then our donors can guess where we stand,
Our hockey pucks are more than just a bit of sand.

Send out the word to all our "health care professionals,"
To make up those boxes of testimonials.

Boxes and boxes that shout "efficacy."
And all the noise sounds like it's not a fallacy.

Our testimonies repeat and repeat, you see,
A cleaned-up aura ain't no fantasy.

How could anyone presume this is a placebo?
Wow, don't our boxes put on a helluva show.

And if we are still in a scientific bind,
Let's subject the choir to our double-blind.

Still, the real Gentle Winders in on the know,
Prefer the "research" from strumming the ole Banjo.

But now that it's sold, no need to fret,
We just have to buy a research Corvette.

However, for PR, that's not a good prop.
Forget clean auras; let's use a photo-op.

This may look cheesy 'cuz it is awfully easy.
No work to do, just hold a card or two.

GW international appears on the move,
And here are our pics for you to approve.

Just pose with this card and feel centered and calmer,
No worries about food or water, now that you have a "healed aura."

GW international proclaims this as relief,
But to provide real service, you'll need more than belief.

On the Victims of Gentle Wind Project Discussion Board someone related a story of responding to an unknown individual who had contacted her via personal email for advice on filing a complaint about GWP with Maine's Attorney General. She later found this personal email used as an attachment in GWP's response to the Attorney General's Mediator, as a result of filing her own complaint with the AG. It seems that she was set up.

This story brings up how important it is to remember that some things are not always what they appear to be.

For instance, there are private emails from me to friends, about personal matters, that are inappropriately being used as attachments
in the lawsuit filed by the Millers (the GWP leaders). These emails were sent to long-time friends, not anyone at GW headquarters, prior to their lawsuit being filed.

How did my emails end up being part of GWP's lawsuit? Apparently, these friends of nearly 20 years were persuaded to give this personal email from me to the Millers. We can't conceive of why
the Millers think my emails are valuable, but the point is that they were private.

These emails can be found in the Millers' original lawsuit claim, and are now public, not private, documents.

This kind of thing can be disheartening, but, on the other hand, the experience can also increase one's appreciation for the right to express oneself freely and in confidence.

On the Yahoo Discussion Group -- "Victims of Gentle Wind Project" -- someone related a story of responding to an unknown individual who had contacted her via personal email for advice on filing a complaint about GWP with Maine's Attorney General. She later found this personal email used as an attachment in GWP's response to the Attorney General's Mediator, as a result of filing her own complaint with the AG. It seems that she was set up.

In any case, this person now knows to contact Carolyn Silsby, Esq., with the Maine AG, to register a complaint about GWP, if she chooses to do so. . .

It really is important to remember that some things are not always what they appear to be.

For instance, there are private emails from me to friends, about personal matters, that are inappropriately being used as attachments
in the lawsuit filed by the Millers (the GWP leaders). These emails were sent to long-time friends, not anyone at GW headquarters, prior to their lawsuit being filed.

How did my emails end up being part of GWP's lawsuit? Apparently, these friends of nearly 20 years were persuaded to give this personal email from me to the Millers. We can't conceive of why
the Millers think my emails are valuable, but the point is that they were private.

These emails can be found in the Millers' original lawsuit claim, and are now public, not private, documents.

This kind of thing can be disheartening, but, on the other hand, the experience can also increase one's appreciation for the right to express oneself freely and in confidence.

On the Yahoo Discussion Group -- "Victims of Gentle Wind Project" -- someone related a story of responding to an unknown individual who had contacted her via personal email for advice on filing a complaint about GWP with Maine's Attorney General. She later found this personal email used as an attachment in GWP's response to the Attorney General's Mediator, as a result of filing her own complaint with the AG. It seems that she was set up.

In any case, this person now knows to contact Carolyn Silsby, Esq., with the Maine AG, to register a complaint about GWP, if she chooses to do so. . .

It really is important to remember that some things are not always what they appear to be.

For instance, there are private emails from me to friends, about personal matters, that are inappropriately being used as attachments
in the lawsuit filed by the Millers (the GWP leaders). These emails were sent to long-time friends, not anyone at GW headquarters, prior to their lawsuit being filed.

How did my emails end up being part of GWP's lawsuit? Apparently, these friends of nearly 20 years were persuaded to give this personal email from me to the Millers. We can't conceive of why
the Millers think my emails are valuable, but the point is that they were private.

These emails can be found in the Millers' original lawsuit claim, and are now public, not private, documents.

This kind of thing can be disheartening, but, on the other hand, the experience can also increase one's appreciation for the right to express oneself freely and in confidence.

On the Yahoo Discussion Group -- "Victims of Gentle Wind Project" -- someone related a story of responding to an unknown individual who had contacted her via personal email for advice on filing a complaint about GWP with Maine's Attorney General. She later found this personal email used as an attachment in GWP's response to the Attorney General's Mediator, as a result of filing her own complaint with the AG. It seems that she was set up.

In any case, this person now knows to contact Carolyn Silsby, Esq., with the Maine AG, to register a complaint about GWP, if she chooses to do so. . .

It really is important to remember that some things are not always what they appear to be.

For instance, there are private emails from me to friends, about personal matters, that are inappropriately being used as attachments
in the lawsuit filed by the Millers (the GWP leaders). These emails were sent to long-time friends, not anyone at GW headquarters, prior to their lawsuit being filed.

How did my emails end up being part of GWP's lawsuit? Apparently, these friends of nearly 20 years were persuaded to give this personal email from me to the Millers. We can't conceive of why
the Millers think my emails are valuable, but the point is that they were private.

These emails can be found in the Millers' original lawsuit claim, and are now public, not private, documents.

This kind of thing can be disheartening, but, on the other hand, the experience can also increase one's appreciation for the right to express oneself freely and in confidence.

On the Yahoo Discussion Group -- "Victims of Gentle Wind Project" -- someone related a story of responding to an unknown individual who had contacted her via personal email for advice on filing a complaint about GWP with Maine's Attorney General. She later found this personal email used as an attachment in GWP's response to the Attorney General's Mediator, as a result of filing her own complaint with the AG. It seems that she was set up.

In any case, this person now knows to contact Carolyn Silsby, Esq., with the Maine AG, to register a complaint about GWP, if she chooses to do so. . .

It really is important to remember that some things are not always what they appear to be.

For instance, there are private emails from me to friends, about personal matters, that are inappropriately being used as attachments
in the lawsuit filed by the Millers (the GWP leaders). These emails were sent to long-time friends, not anyone at GW headquarters, prior to their lawsuit being filed.

How did my emails end up being part of GWP's lawsuit? Apparently, these friends of nearly 20 years were persuaded to give this personal email from me to the Millers. We can't conceive of why
the Millers think my emails are valuable, but the point is that they were private.

These emails can be found in the Millers' original lawsuit claim, and are now public, not private, documents.

This kind of thing can be disheartening, but, on the other hand, the experience can also increase one's appreciation for the right to express oneself freely and in confidence.

This is one of my favorite claims on the GWP web site:

"Trauma Card Found Effective With Animals Who Do Not Speak English or Spanish Or French Or German Or ...!

Humane Society and SPCA branch in Southern California reports Healing Instruments effective in relieving suffering with traumatized animals. Apparently there was very little "placebo effect" (none to be exact) in the animals as most are non-English/Spanish/Italian speaking. We have many more very positive reports from animal and human care workers. We just select reports that we feel best represent the actual experience of end users. The Gentle Wind Project makes Healing Instruments available to human and animal rescue and service agencies around the world."

I contacted the Humane Society and SPCA in San Diego about this. It turns out that while they were allowing an Instrument Keeper was teaching some type of animal "healing touch" classes, they had knowledge of GWP's claims. In fact, they didn't even give permission for GWP to use their name in connection with this so-called study.

GWP never did respond my requests for verification of their claims.

Today's quote: "The color of Justice is green."
Johnny Cochran, Esq.

It seems unconscionable that a self-proclaimed non-profit is allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars of "donated" funds on litigating a libel suit to silence critics.

In addition, I note the unsavory language GWP used against these people. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for a charity, with "miracle pucks," to work on healing rather than litigating and name-calling? Instead, the emphasis on legal means is extremely suspect, and reeks of a desperate attempt at cover-up. This may be all in vain for, from my reading, these defendants have a pretty good case of their own.

The people that run Gentle Wind need to live up to their fiduciary responsibilities and use "donated" funds properly and legally.

To paraphrase Socrates, "To give a wrong man money will only get him to the wrong place much faster."

Thanks,

"Strong people are made by opposition, like kites that go up against the 'wind.'"

Frank Harris, from "Values of the Wise"

DEFAMATION INCLINATION

Guess who's making defamation?
View the Counterclaims to provide some explanation.

Hope it's not too reflective,
for there you will find much invective.

Here you'll note the "grifters" sound quite sane,
when compared to the GW exhibit of the profane.

What caused the vulgar names, no one knows,
in response to the so-called "hoaxers" literate prose.

GW should ask for help with Language Art,
or maybe they are channeling from Bogart.

How could "healers" go that far,
to cause a website to sound like Grade B "Film Noir?"

"Grift," "sting," "scam" all sound a bit lame,
maybe their source is Micky Spillane.

Or they must be flailing a little phrenetic,
publicly calling someone "schizophrenic."

Even the "spirits" lament it may be plausible,
that it was a rude "faux pas" to demean "menopausal."

And if the "eye" sounds crude and dicey,
we also know it lacks respect for privacy!

Any reality from those claims is impossible to sort.
Yet, the vulgar labels might not play well in court.

GW may discover from this reading,
that their expletives are exceeding.

And if GW keeps conjuring up this jive,
they, along with their spirits,
may need to find a real 9-to-5!

Poetic Response to Gentle Wind's warnings on their website:

"Names and places withheld to protect children, their families and volunteers from harassment and possible violence from the
consequences of fabrications of internet hoaxers." - Gentle Wind Project

"By request names and places withheld to protect volunteers and their organization from interference, harassment and possible violence from the consequences of fabrications of internet hoaxers." Gentle Wind Project


THE REPTILIAN RESPONSE


GW people have a warning for you,
that will tell all the groupies just what to do.

Their claim is to protect you from all harm, even though, you know, they don't really give a darn.

Can you believe "harassment," and "possible violence" are part of the "scam!??"
Instead of the "internet hoaxers," you should beware another "straw man."

To hide "names and places" GW instills fright,
for it distracts a lot better and appeals to flight.

But beyond the BIG WORDS invented especially for you,
invectives may be all they have to make much ado.

The primitive response has been around for more than a million,
so take the next step in evolution, and stop being Reptilian!

*New Poem


"GWP had to sell its research banjo!"
http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/gentle-winds-scam4.htm

"An introduction...
"Exhibit C of [Mary "Moe" Miller's] lawsuit affidavit (25 Oct 04) lists items she claims GWP had to sell to raise money after the negative web articles appeared and GWP had spent well over a hundred grand on litigation GWP had started. These itemswere 'equipment used in the research and manufacturing of the healing technology.'...
"What were the items they had to sell you ask? Hold on to your chair!

"They were: A clarinet, several guitars, a banjo and workshop tools."

Miller affidavit:
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/74.pdf
Exhibit C:
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/74-ex-C.pdf
Ross reply:
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/80.pdf
__________________

* The "Research Banjo": A Poem


"...there are more things in heaven and on earth

than man only know."

But to rise above that

we'll need to strum our "Research Banjo."


We'll pluck like we know about your soul,

and for that can you donate much of your gold?

Cuz our kind of research may seem a little funky,

but you know that instruments cost a lot of Money.


Our expensive cars and boats may help us to grow,

but nothing does the job like

our dear old "Research Banjo."


Science & Engineering is where it's at,

and when we stop playing we pass the hat.


Our research could reveal a strange new nexus.

But if you need to know more

we'll need a deluxe Research LEXUS.


And if you feel that this sounds like a perk,

Wait till you hear about our energy work!



Jack O'Neill

According to a GWP Victims'posting:

Maine's Attorney General is accepting testimonies from individuals who paid "donations" to Gentle Wind Project for "healing instruments" or "contributions," and/or were refused refunds, or were told about physical, medical, or psychological benefits of the "healing instruments," or whose reports to GW were used as "research" for GWP's articles or reports. Statements to the Attorney General are confidential and protected from legal action.

Individuals can also send information about being part of what GWP calls "research." For some people, this might have been when GWP told followers that the "spirit world" was researching individuals as they worked on photography, electronics, lathes, ham radios, boat building, radio planes, "energy work," and so on. More recently -- attempting to create a "scientific image" -- GW leaders might have asked for reports from "instrument keepers" on the "positive benefits" of using their "healing instruments."

According to the announcement, individuals that have already contacted the Attorney General may send additional information.

Contact information:

Email: consumer.mediation@maine.gov - RE: Gentle Wind Project

Website: http://www.state.me.us/ag/

Direct submission of a complaint: http://www.maine.gov/ag/faq.php?pods=160

Mail: Maine Attorney General, RE: Gentle Wind Project, 6 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0006, USA

Phone: 207-626-8800 / Fax: 207-626-8518, RE: Gentle Wind Project
_________________________

A website that studies cultic behavior published the following list showing how such groups typically develop and change over time.

From my observations I can see some uncanny similarities to Gentle Wind in this list. If I were going to peg them, it would be somewhere between 7 and 13, but perhaps past followers will find more relevance to the earlier or later stages.

If GW isn't a cult, it sure seems to act like one.

Don McNulty


Definition: The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a cult as "a system of religious worship; devotion, or homage to person or thing." Nowadays, in the public mind, the word "cult" is more likely to be associated with brain-washing, manipulation of followers, public scandals over cult leaders' sex lives [...] rather than religious worship.

At its beginning the cult consists of a small group of people focused around a benign leader to whom individuals are attracted. At its end, it can become a manipulative, exploitative, multi-national organization.

Following the leader is believed to be the only route to enlightenment or salvation - as defined by the cult. The leader lives in luxurious circumstances at the members' expense, removed
from the main body of the group. The leader is largely inaccessible except to a privileged few. The leader makes prophecies of future events which the group prepares to encounter. The members manifest almost unquestioning submission to the leader treating him or her like a celebrity or saint.

Listed below are 16 stages of cult evolution. Not all such groups will pass through each stage and stages will overlap:

1.People encounter an attractive, small group within which a leader has emerged or is self-appointed.

2.The leader is charismatic and people focus around him or her.

3.The followers gradually isolate the leader by elevating him or her.

4.The group enlarges and members form emotional bonds, united by common aims and activities.

5.The leader begins to change, flattered by the attention of the followers. Drained by the constant demands of the followers, she or he develops a distorted view of her or himself. The leader lacks peers with which to measure herself or himself against. The leader considers there is no earthly authority to which she or he is
answerable.

6.The group continues to grow to the point where formal organization becomes necessary.

7.The group applies for charitable status. It runs businesses. By now, the annual financial turnover of the group is substantial.

8.The group is highly structured with several people in positions of power over others.

9.The leader begins to live away from the main body of the group.

10.People desiring power and control gravitate to the leader and form a clique around him or her.

11.The clique protects the leader in order to protect its own interests. The leader is now out of control -- testing her/his autocratic powers to their limits. The power clique attempts to
prevent followers from recognizing the deterioration in the leader. People on the fringes of the organization are mostly unaware of what is happening at the centre.

12.News begins to leak out to the membership. The leadership comes under attack both from outside and within the group.

13.Law suits are served by the organization against those publicly expressing criticism of the group. Former members challenge the group with counter suits.

14.The leader and power clique resort to increasingly extreme and desperate measures in order to maintain their position and silence
opposition.

15.The catastrophic denoument - public scandal, imprisonment[...].

16.The emergence of the re-formed group in a more repressive form than the original.

From GWP website:
"With the help of volunteers The Gentle Wind Project has produced over 2000 Trauma Cards in under 10 days to try to keep up with the demand. We are up to Trauma Card serial number 4059 in this series. Although this Technology will be headed for all over the globe, the emphasis will be in the tsunami disaster zone in South East Asia. This is the most intense 10 day run of any instrument we have ever had. Thanks for your support! Names and exact locations left out for personal safety reasons. More to come."

_____

Ugh! Oh!! GW is on the move again, saving the world. With this new "emergency mobilization" the hard core followers no longer need to be distracted by doubts: i.e.: "Wonder where all the money goes?" "Are we really special?" "Where's Tubby?" "Why is information about GW beyond our understanding?" "Something doesn't FEEL right!" "Energy work?" "What cult?" "Is GW going to save us?" "Better not ask."

STOP THINKING and churn out those "trauma cards" or Madonna will beat you to save the world with her magic "Kabbalah water," or Guru Sri Chimnoy with his "Oneness-Heart-Tears-Smiles" organization or is it: "Open your heart and see where it breaks?"

Wonder how the "trauma cards" work? Can you use them for flotation? Or protection from the sun when placed on the head? A bunch of em could be used, if the team at GW could churn them out fast enough, to make temporary shelters? It could be a good luck charm, or worn around the neck as decoration?

I think I'll stick with my "worry beads" and Madonna's magic water (she claims it cures the causes of cancer).

GW could improve their product by attaching a bottle opener with their name on it, for opening the "Kabbalah water." If room for more printing, the words "donate," and "credit card" could be under the name.

But remember, to save the world, keep those donations coming in, and the free labor. We at GW thank you, and so do our lawyers.

Claiming to be a functioning non-profit organization, approved by Maine and Federal authorities, the Gentle Wind Project's Board of Directors must be taking an active role in how the organization is run, and in setting its policies. Judging by the operation thus far, the Board (if any) consists of GWP members who simply rubber-stamp the wishes of Mr. and Mrs. John Miller and all the Miller Family members. In this case the following suggestions are intended as a reality check.

Duties of the GWP Board of Directors:

1. The Board, not the self-appointed co-directors, has approval authority over every aspect of the organization's expenditures, budget, and overall policy.

2. Board makes all financial records and Board Meeting Minutes available to the public.

3. Board delegates the day-to-day operations to the administration and staff, in this case the Millers and the paid and unpaid staff.

4. Board represents the fiduciary responsibility of GW to the donors and the community at large.

5. Board members should not be "instrument keepers" or followers/members of GWP.

6. Board receives regular reports from John Miller and his staff concerning GWP activities and management.

7. Board evaluates performances of John Miller, Mary Miller, and staff, at regular meetings, and makes recommendations.

8. Board sets annual or, as needed, special meetings, open to the public with Meeting Minutes available on file, and via the Internet.

9. As per #7, the Board issues pink slips for malfeasance, as in the case of allocating donated funds to an ill-conceived and
inappropriate lawsuit (costing $100,000+ of donors' money), without prior special approval of the Board. Obviously, these expenses are not part of a non-profit's charter.*

* NB: Donated funds do not belong to GWP or its Directors.

If these operational requirements are not in place, then GWP may be operating illegally, whereby the Millers act as intermediaries,
passing on information from their "spirits," rather than from a Board of Directors. This system is not legal, as it permits one or two people to run the non-profit for their own purposes without community input. Still, it is the management structure preferred by so-called cults.

Boards of Directors although required in charitable, as well as educational and research non-profits in this type of set-up are powerless, as no individual staff member or follower would contradict a leader who received information from "spirits," or from some distant planet. In such Guru-like non-profits, there are
boundaries firmly in place to protect this misguided, authoritarian power from any outside questioning or investigations. As such, there
is no fiscal control on the use, and misuse, of donated, tax-deductible funds. In many states, the Attorney Generals' Offices are investigating such abuse of non-profit status, which can result in lost state revenues from artificial tax deductions, among other illegal activities.

The Board Minutes, recorded over the past twenty years by GWP, showing approval, by vote of each Board Member, of the various activities of GWP, and accompanying discussions by Board Members,
would be useful to demonstrate the nature of this group. The GWP website would be an obvious place to post these documents.

There must be some public evidence to back up the prolific self-righteous claims of this group. I would suggest a good tax attorney, before it's too late.

cc: Maine Attorney General

*** Gentle Wind Project section is paragraph 10

For the full story -- http://www.cultnews.com
January 05, 2005


The old adage "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" may be useful to Tsunami survivors receiving attention from some specious sects and groups called "cults."

Just like in the movie Troy something sinister and/or self-serving can be concealed in a "gift horse," and it's probably not Brad Pitt.

In recent days a growing array of controversial religious organizations, gurus and self-styled healers have launched efforts for Tsunami relief, but who are they really focused upon helping?

Do their programs reflect a genuine desire to assist the victims of the most horrific catastrophe of the 21st Century, or are they just there to play the disaster for publicity and possibly some new recruits?

South African Scientologists are using church branches as drop-off points for clothes and other goods targeted for relief reports IOL. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20050105070049326C418803

And Scientologists flying in from all over.

Scientology has sent volunteers from Australia to identify bodies reported the AAP.
English Scientologists and even a volunteer from Utah funded by an anonymous businessman are being flown in to somehow help reports Surrey On Line and the and the Salt Lake Tribune.

Scientology volunteers are known for their bright yellow jackets emblazoned with "Scientology Volunteer Ministers worn when doing their charitable chores. http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/history/history39.html

Scientology says that over 200 "volunteer ministers" are helping in tsunami-hit countries.
In a strange twist Scientology has trained Tibetan monks to help tsunami survivors through so-called "touch assists," which seems to be Scientology's version of the popular Pentecostal practice known as "laying on of hands" for healing. Scientology volunteers and the Buddhist monks using their method will touch survivors to help heal their trauma reports the AFP. http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=8754&article=Tibetans+trained+by+Scientologists+treat+tsunami-hit+villagers

*** Another controversial group concerned about the trauma of tsunami survivors is the "Gentle Wind Project." This organization is sending its so-called "trauma cards" to Sumatra, which supposedly have "the ability to forgive and [help users] move forward in life" according to one testimonial featured on the group's Web site. But critics have dismissed the cards as "quackery" http://www.rickross.com/reference/gentlewind/gentlewind1.html, and a doctor warned that groups pushing such products often find "people who are desperate...and then take advantage of them."

Madonna's much-hyped "Kabbalah Centre" is shipping 10,000 bottles of its touted "Kabbalah Water," which the pop diva seems to believe has spiritual properties reported MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6782078/

Wouldn't regular bottled tap water be just as effective and much cheaper? But then that couldn't afford a photo op with glitzy "Kabbalah Centre" labeling would it?

And then there is the so-called "Art of Living" organization led by a former associate of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar." He has dispatched his disciples to teach tsunami victims "yoga" and "meditation."

Hey Sri Sri how about funding some conventional classrooms for children rather than pushing your "yoga"?

Another pitch comes from Guru Sri Chinmoy of New York. His followers are collecting for something called "The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles" organization and say they are now "engaged in an urgent global effort to bring desperately needed relief to the survivors." http://www.oneness-heart.org/

But Chinmoy, who has been embroiled in sex scandals and called a "sleazy swami," doesn't seem to fit the "world harmony leader" title claimed at the group's fund-raising Web site. http://www.rickross.com/reference/srichinmoy/srichinmoy29.html

"Mata" the hugging mama guru has reportedly laid down some hard cash reported one news service. http://www.rickross.com/groups/amma.html
But will she want a photo op hugging her check like "Summa Ching Hai" when she dropped some dough on the Red Cross for September 11th victims?

Meanwhile hate preacher Fred Phelps from Kansas wants everyone to know that he is "thankful" God killed Swedish citizens through this particular disaster, something about their collective sexual sins reported Raw Print.

Who will land next with the next wave of volunteers?

Maybe some Falun Gongers will show up to teach exercise classes and pass out flyers, or will it be Sai baba the guru philanthropist and alleged pedophile?

Nothing new about such activities by specious groups after a disaster except the size and depth of this terrible tragedy.

Scientology volunteers were seen at Ground Zero not long after the Twin Towers collapsed. And John Travolta seemed anxious for his photo-op when he visited the site.

Then Tom Cruise launched the Scientology-linked "Downtown Medical," located in lower Manhattan, which provided the so-called "purification rundown" for the detoxification of FDNY firemen and others that worked at Ground Zero.

People are the most vulnerable to undue influence and recruitment efforts by groups called "cults" when experiencing a personal crisis, loss and/or going through a difficult transition. When people are isolated from family, friends, their community and familiar support systems they are likely to be weakened and more susceptible.

Sound like Tsunami victims?

Meanwhile mainstream religious and relief organizations and government agencies are focused upon providing practical help to the massive numbers of survivors such as potable not magical water, medical care and the restoration of basic services through the rebuilding of infrastructure.

CNN reports that this is the largest humanitarian effort in recorded history.
Let's hope that that these practical efforts reach the tsunami victims before any so-called "cults" exploit their vulnerabilities or use them as backdrops for some photo-op.

submitted by,

Alanna Graham
Needham, MA
USA

New actually old Gentle Wind websites have been found by people posting on the Yahoo Gentle Wind Project Victims message board.

Some of the postings on that message board are getting quite funny, by the way.

A website called http://www.archive.org searches for older versions of Internet sites. I looked at this and found out that gentle wind's go back to 1998.

If anyone came in more recently, or if you've forgotten what these people said that caused you to spend all that money (we weren't thinking clearly then!), look here at some of their earlier advertising and become even more bewildered and, if you're like me, disgusted, at the claptrap claims and amazing price increases: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.gentlewindproject.org

An introduction, Mary 'Moe' Miller is a Gentle Wind Project cult board of directors member. Exhibit C of her 25 Oct '04 affidavit lists items she claims GWP had to sell to raise money after the negative web articles appeared and they had spent well over a hundred grand on litigation initiated by GWP.

These items were "equipment used in the research and manufacturing of the healing technology." That 'technology' consists of expensive magic pucks, 'healing cards' and other crap. See http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Gentle-Wind/

What were the items they had to sell you ask? Hold on to your chair!

The were: a clarinet, several guitars, a banjo and workshop tools.

How the music instruments were used for "research and manufacturing of the healing technology." is not disclosed. Bummer!

The Ross reply (5 Nov) points out that Miller does not disclose how Gentle Wind Project can keep making the 'healing instruments' without these tools. The footnote on page 5 of the Ross reply reads deliciously:

"Presumably the role of guitars and banjos in manufactering of GWP's healing instruments is a trade secret."

Miller affidavit
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/74.pdf

Exhibit C
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/74-ex-C.pdf

Ross reply
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/80.pdf

For anyone interested in the GWP lawsuit:

We learned this summer that an independent "browsing directory" web
page of most documents in the Gentle Wind Project lawsuit had been set up, along with a "docket sheet" page (outline of court filings
in the lawsuit). These documents are public information.

We've now heard that these two pages have been updated so that the files are linked and can be opened, without registration or cost.

The website providing these pages is about another subject, thus the why are they dead URL.

http://whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/

http://whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/docket.html

Oops, Scotty! I think they've morphed.

At least someone is taking my advice: GW is now trying to look legit with their "affiliates" -- "GWP Worldwide," and "Allies for Trauma Relief." This may help if they get hauled into Court?

Are we now going to have to make it without "the spirits from another planet," "Moe-Mo" and "Tubby," "telepathic healings" (Hey, why can't these be used on trauma victims around the world?), "energy work," "the Millers" (?), "etheric nets," "pucks," etc., etc. Can we possibly keep our "cult deprogramming" team?

I'm going to miss all of this, now that GW has become like the W.H.O. But, something has to be done about those website designs. Not only are they cheezie, but are so inflated that the name should be changed to "Gentle Windbags." New Motto: "We just save one country at a time."

The little VISA signs -- "donate," "donate" - soar to new heights of bad taste. Legal costs must be cutting into profits? Oh, sorry, "donations."

Please, can someone help GW with their new image?

The next big change is to get Mr. John Miller (formerly, seemingly, the leader known as "Tubby") and all the other Millers, to stop playing with their boats and electronic equipment and do some PR work. Mrs. Mary Miller, MSW (formerly, seemingly, the leader known as "Moe") could use some help.

Kofi Annan, move over... Here comes "GW Worldwide!"

As is commonly known, asking for "testimonials" from "healed" subjects and followers is an easy legitimizing technique used by quack medicine practitioners in lieu of any objective research. GW's many "boxes of testimonials" could easily fall into this category of fuzzy statements about being healed, changed, calmer, more centered, "more like myself," reduced trauma, feeling less pain, etc., etc.

Now we have statements by Mary (no longer Moe?) Miller about "clinical studies" taking place on the products sold by Gentle Wind. There are several disturbing points about these assertions, including the fact that the sites of the claimed "clinical studies" are so vague as to be meaningless: locations are given as a state or a country (as in the case of New Zealand).

The exception seems to be a study, touted in promotional material distributed by GW in Toronto, and described by Mary Miller in "Now Toronto Magazine":

"'...trauma technology has recently been accepted for a phase one clinical trial through a medical university in New England'....Asian medicine practitioner Mary Ryan will conduct this study. She teaches medical anthropology part-time at the University of Massachusetts..."

But then, in the same newspaper article, Mary Miller seems to back away from the University of Massachusetts Medical School as the proclaimed GW "clinical trial" research site:

"...the study will not be conducted at the university, but at Ryan's Tibetan and Chinese medicine clinic."

Why would Mary Miller mention University of Massachusetts at all, if not to imply that this institution has some involvement in the study? Do they or don't they?

On another disturbing point: Since GW is at least according to Mary Miller's claims moving into the realm of "clinical studies," I assume they are aware that studies on human subjects require large amounts of paperwork: Detailed guidelines (written protocols) approved by an institutional review board; Consent forms signed by all participants (containing specific wording); Confidentiality and record-keeping policies, etc. These procedures are designed to meet Federal standards (NIH and FDA) for the protection of human subjects, and could place GWP and the University of Massachusetts at legal risk if not followed.

GWP, the researcher, and the University of Massachusetts should disclose the Medical School's approval of this GW "clinical study." This would satisfy observers that the clinical trial is taking place and that procedures are being followed in accordance with NIH and FDA requirements. In addition, without these procedures, the GW "clinical studies" will not be publishable in any reputable scientific journal.

The GW donors and followers deserve more specifics about the claimed "research" than what Mary Miller is willing to reveal. The medical science review board at the University of Massachusetts would, no doubt, be pleased to make this research information available to the public, if such research is actually taking place under the auspices of this "New England medical university."

If not, GW will need to dust off those boxes of testimonials. Unfortunately, testimonials don't substitute, in the real world, for actual research.

The use of your donated and hard-earned money by GWP on wasteful legal fees, for an apparently lost case, and high salaries, expense perks, Florida vacations, real estate, boats, cars, etc., etc., etc., if made public, could create even more donor vendettas. Remember, donated money does not belong to the individuals in a nonprofit organization, such as GWP, and cannot be used personally by the leaders.

A quick audit of the GW books could reveal donated funds being used according to the whims of the leaders without objective protection of donors' intent. The lack of fiscal responsibility indicates a board of directors who uncritically rubber stamp the leaders' instructions.

A nonprofit that unabashedly uses donated funds to enrich the directors in terms of income and personal comfort, on the scale evident in GW, becomes highly questionable in the eyes of its donors, and by state authorities who are mandated to protect the community from misuse of their donations.

Chloe,

Granted, Judy may have said those things back when she was part of GWP. But in this great country of ours, people are allowed to change their minds.

For example, I moved to AZ 2 years ago. I had previously heard of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, seen him on Cops, and read about some of the good things he was doing here in Maricopa County. My opinion of him was that he seemed to be a really good Sheriff.

But now that I have been here a few years and found out what this man is truly about, I voted against him in the Nov 2 election. My opinion of him has done a complete 180.

I have read several stories about former GWP IKs that have "seen the light" about the true nature of GWP, and have distanced themselves from them. I'm sure that when they were a dedicated IK, they also had nothing but praises to sing of GWP.

What's the difference with Judy Garvey and Jim Bergen?

Finally, let me qualify myself so you have no doubts about me or my motives for posting on this report. I have never, in any way, been affiliated with GWP, or any persons, group or organization out to discredit the GWP and their "mission". I am simply an outside observer offering my opinions based on the information posted in these reports, and by having read the GWP website.

I must say that even if I had not previously read this report, and had come accross the GWP website on my own, the statements alone would give me reason to question their motives. Any organization that feels they have to qualify their Non-Profit status by making references to their financials, and who makes several references about not being a "cult", is highly suspicious in my book.

Thank you for reading my comments.

Chloe,

Granted, Judy may have said those things back when she was part of GWP. But in this great country of ours, people are allowed to change their minds.

For example, I moved to AZ 2 years ago. I had previously heard of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, seen him on Cops, and read about some of the good things he was doing here in Maricopa County. My opinion of him was that he seemed to be a really good Sheriff.

But now that I have been here a few years and found out what this man is truly about, I voted against him in the Nov 2 election. My opinion of him has done a complete 180.

I have read several stories about former GWP IKs that have "seen the light" about the true nature of GWP, and have distanced themselves from them. I'm sure that when they were a dedicated IK, they also had nothing but praises to sing of GWP.

What's the difference with Judy Garvey and Jim Bergen?

Finally, let me qualify myself so you have no doubts about me or my motives for posting on this report. I have never, in any way, been affiliated with GWP, or any persons, group or organization out to discredit the GWP and their "mission". I am simply an outside observer offering my opinions based on the information posted in these reports, and by having read the GWP website.

I must say that even if I had not previously read this report, and had come accross the GWP website on my own, the statements alone would give me reason to question their motives. Any organization that feels they have to qualify their Non-Profit status by making references to their financials, and who makes several references about not being a "cult", is highly suspicious in my book.

Thank you for reading my comments.

In an article published in the Bangor Daily News (Saturday-Sunday, April 4-5, 1998 edition) Judy Garvey was quoted as saying: "Three minutes isn't much time, enough to scramble an egg or sing a song, but it is all the time that is needed to make a better life."

"There's never a charge and there's no obligation. There is nothing to join. There are no leaders."

In an article published in July of 1999 in The Community Newspaper #52 in Lincolnville, Maine, Judy Garvey is quoted as saying:

"In my life, I attribute much of my own, my husband and children's steady, positive personal success to this technology (referring to the GWP healing instrument). Since using it, life has become much easier to cope with and potential conflicts have become much less devastating. My husband and I can document a gradual, permanent transition from a life of stress and frequent disappointments to one of peace of mind and inner strength - being able to roll with life's surprises. Our marriage has been changed from one of unmet expectations and resentments to one of respect and acceptance of individual differences. We have seen this again with family, friends, and acquaintances."

"There is absolutely no charge or obligation. This is not a religion. There is no group to join. There aren't any leaders or gurus. We do not even have to believe in it to work. But, if I were to give my best suggestion for achieving peace and inner harmony, along with physical well-being, it would be, 'use the Gentle Wind Healing Instruments and then continue with whatever method of healing you use in your life.'"

People will believe in that which they desire. Julius Caesar

Gentle Wind Project going into the cult deprogramming business (as advertised on their website's project news page) is another stroke of genius. It accomplishes a number of things. It diversifies GW's profit base, helps to silence those who accuse them of being a cult themselves, and potentially increases the number of GW followers. Someone at GW, or one of the spirits they talk to, knows something about business and PR.

Regarding the varied services that will be needed by GW's disenfranchised deprogramming clients, I would expect GW to go beyond simply using their advertised healing products on these cult victims.

From what I understand, cults damage more than auras, causing victims to donate large sums of money and time, sever relationships, and take on new identities, all of which leave the person with vastly diminished personal resources to fall back on. Does GW plan to assist their deprogramming clients with reconstructing their lives, finding jobs, housing, new relationships?

One of the things I've learned about deprogramming for victims of cults, who have succumbed to a highly controlled belief system, was from research I found on the Ross Institute website, which, incidentally, is an excellent source of cult information. One point of the study was about replacing cult beliefs with new ones to ease the transition from the powerful hold of the cult. Based on some of the universal characteristics of cults, GW would be especially qualified to apply this approach for the following reasons:

1) Most cults have leaders who claim to hear voices and/or receive information from a higher spiritual source, and they use this connection as a means to control their followers. GW, with leaders like the Millers, who are also connected to the spirit world, could replace their clients' previous cult leaders with themselves and their own spiritual connection.

2) Another universal characteristic of cults is to have a grand purpose, or mission, such as to save the world, heal sinners, and so on, with which the cult member becomes devoutly committed. By transferring to GW's mission of healing humankind one person at a time, the cult members will now have a new grand mission and purpose to devote their lives to.

3) Many cults promise members that they will be saved, end the cycle of reincarnation, or enter paradise. GW can promise a new way of life after patching up the etheric system by using an instrument, and assure the salvation of breaking free of old hurts and wounds forever, etc.

4) Cults persuade members who accomplish certain things, such as giving up material interests, that they will become spiritually evolved. Some cults, like Church Universal and Triumphant, believe in the White Brotherhood and practice the ladder of evolution, similar to GW. Here again, GW can offer their own spiritual evolution from simply using their instruments, and maybe even a connection to the Brotherhood or a higher step on the ladder.

5) Members of cults come to believe that they are special and different from the rest of humanity by virtue of having got it or being healed. By becoming a follower of GWP, former cult members can continue to view themselves as special by virtue of being healed, and by their exciting new connection to GW and to the Miller Family and their spirits.

6) And, rather than receiving a dose of bliss from their former group after making large donations, cult victims receiving deprogramming from Gentle Wind can now receive healing instruments for their donations, in addition to finding bliss and other assorted benefits associated with the continuous use of instruments.

7) Cults usually attract well meaning people who want to do good in the world, including, sometimes, people in the healing professions. This would make a comfortable fit with people who are already devoted and credentialed followers in GW.

8) As for spiritual rituals in previous cult experiences? GW may be able to help there, too.

9) Since many cult leaders take on curious names and define themselves as a family, the pseudonyms Moe and Tubby and the other Miller Family names, should help former cult followers feel comfortable with their new leaders/deprogrammers. I would still suggest dropping the infantile cult-like names, if the deprogramming idea doesn't materialize.

There are numerous other parallels with cults that make GWP a priceless group to replace cults in the lives of victims who seek out their deprogramming services. The only caveat is that the former cult members should not come to believe they have now traded one cult for another?

In these times of great interest in the preservation of free speech, we were pleased to learn last week that, The U.S. Supreme Court denied, without elaboration, an appeal to review a case involving a Colonie human potential training company, free speech, and the Internet. (See High Court Rejects NXIVM Appeal: Company Had Sued Researcher over Cult Label, Criticism on Web, in Albany Times-Union, 12-3-04.)

The U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit had previously ruled against the plaintiffs in NXIVM v. Ross Institute. The 21-page ruling states, in part: ....It is plain that, as a general matter, criticisms of a seminar or organization
cannot substitute for the seminar or organization itself or hijack its market. To be sure, some may read defendants' materials and
decide not to attend plaintiffs' seminars. Indeed, the record reflects that soon after the dissemination of defendants' material, actress Goldie Hawn cancelled a visit with NXIVM's leader, Keith Raneire....If criticisms on defendants' websites kill the demand for plaintiffs' service, that is the price that, under the First Amendment, must be paid in the open marketplace for ideas....


Jim and Judy
Blue Hill, ME, USA

TO: Laurie, Chloe, Mary Ann, Susan, and other GWP spokespersons

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise about the Miller finances. I didn't know there was going to be a trial, but I would expect the Millers will hire a good tax attorney to guide them through it.

You probably know this; but in pure accounting terms, donated money to a nonprofit does not technically belong to the organization. It is to be used for the work of the nonprofit. As such, GWP has a fiduciary trust to use donations as they were intended by the donors.

Where I think GW got into trouble, and you may disagree, is using a large percentage of the donated money to reward faithful staff and directors for their hard work increasing the annual donations. This would make them appear like a for-profit corporation that uses profits to reward the managers and workers who helped create it.

Another instance of appearing for-profit would be the GWP holiday specials with discount offers, appearing more like a sales pitch than a request for donations. GWP sounds like the Wal-mart of nonprofits. In contrast, I think of Mother Theresa, who used her fame and increased funding to further her work with the poor. Can you see her taking a fat salary as a reward for her 60 years work, or buying a set of golf clubs?

An area you might advise the Millers on is the GW policy of no refunds. In a sense, the donor has rights to the donated money since it is placed in trust with the organization. If you donated money to a friend to build a house, and he or she was planning to use it for a long overdue vacation instead, you might want your money back. Your friend, acting in good faith, would return your money since your intended purpose for the donation was different than how it was used.

GW should be sensitive to these issues and demonstrate respect for donated money if this money is actually considered a donation by refunding it to donors who are not satisfied with the instruments, or in how the money is used.

You may know of current litigation in which the Robertson family is suing Princeton University for $600 million, based on the university's misuse of a $35 million donation made 40 years ago. Allegedly, Princeton used the money for investment and internal costs instead of improving graduate teaching in international relations. If the Court, in this case, decides in favor of the plaintiff, GW could, in turn, become vulnerable to some disgruntled donors, or relatives and descendants of those donors, seeking refunds. In any case, the Courts are becoming increasingly sensitive to this issue.

On that note, it's good that you've been told the loan of $200,000 to the brother of GWP Directors Mary Miller and Joan Carreiro is all legal. As for documentation, you should carefully check that this original loan was approved, in the Minutes, by the GWP Board of Directors, some of whom should be objective Directors, not volunteers or believers in GWP. You should also check for similar approval, in Board Meeting Minutes, authorizing the purchases of Florida and other homes or rents, boats, salaries, cars, hobby equipment, etc., over the past twenty or so years. This documentation would help GW's trial. In Massachusetts, the Attorney General is prosecuting nonprofits for lack of these procedures.

If Gentle Wind doesn't have this type of documentation in order, I wouldn't suggest fabricating it, for if caught, the Millers, and GW's Treasurer, could be removed from their headquarters in cuffs. I don't see this as a possibility since you already examined the documents and presumably all is in order.

As for the large salaries, it is the Millers' business if they intend to continue using the excess in donated funds to distribute the bounty among themselves as a reward for bringing home the bacon so to speak, but they must then be aware of potential consequences. And for you all, the Millers should be willing to financially reward your level of knowledge and good work, as well.

As for me, my donations go to Mother Theresa.

Don
Somerville, MA

P.S. RE: Poison
Resentment is the Poison you pour for someone else, but drink yourself.

Congratulations! To be a member of this group, you must publish false claims and make gigantic suppositions that lead to incorrect conclusions. You have done it all!

I have a copy of the Gentle Wind tax return, which I demanded. I also checked on their returns from many years back. If you took the time to do a little math, you would see that Gentle Wind staff and directors work over 80 hours a week. This means that after twenty-one years of service, they earn under $16 per hour. My local fast food restaurant manager earns more per hour and has better benefits than the Gentle Wind staff has.

I also know that the GWP group has professional credentials and advanced degrees. For over a decade, they earned below poverty line wages. How, Don, are you the kind of guy who would make this kind of personal sacrifice for the betterment of humanity? What do you earn per hour and what good do you do in the world? Let's make some comparisons.

Last summer, I saw all the documentation for the research involving boats, music equipment, golf, photography, electronics, woodworking, ham radio, and more. It is a massive body of documentation.

The Gentle Wind Project is legally entitled to make loans, which I notice are being repaid according to the tax return exactly as agreed.

You might be familiar with non-profits but you have no idea what The Gentle Wind Project is doing. You should confine your "expert" opinions to those matters that are within your scope of knowledge. You would do well to take the time to attend the upcoming trial where all the information will be brought to light. Innuendo, suppositions and false claims do not hold up in court.

By the way, Joan Carreiro made one salary, not two. You must be consulting with SIA for your "facts". You have made a number of other incorrect assumptions but we'll just let the big "stock portfolio" assumption come to light in court. What's your next story? Can't wait.

I've noted, with curiosity, the information repeated here and elsewhere on the Internet, about GWP's research, double-blind studies, healings, 80-hour work weeks, healthcare professionals (credentialed!), not a cult, conspiracy theories, spirit world, sexual ritual denials, denials of misuse of donations," justification for $10,000+ healing devices, defamation, lawsuits, false negative claims, etc., etc., etc.

It's difficult to figure out these disclaimers, but when I look at some of the actual financial facts, I can only conclude there's something fishy at GWP.

Consider some of the facts:

-- In 2003, GWP leaders allocated $545,235 on internal salaries for three staff and five Directors, as follows:

Directors (All living in the same household with leader John Miller, according to information on the Internet):
Mary Miller, $71,799
Shelley Miller, $71,999
Carol Miller, $71,999
Joan Carreiro, $71,999 *
Pam Ranheim, $71,999

Staff:
Joan Carreiro, $72,930 *
Virginia Pummer, $54,044
Gloria Jean Hostetler, $58,262

* Joan Carreiro (sister to Mary Miller) received a combined income of $144,729.00.

TOTAL SALARIES: $545,235.00


-- The leaders/directors each gave themselves a $20,000 raise in 2003 and now receive ca. $72,000 annual salary per person. And, in addition: The organization provides food and lodging for research staff and employees. The staff also has access to recreational equipment used in the organization's research process. GWP Form 990

-- Large internal investments listed under research of an ambiguous other-world nature, i.e. $66,000 in a boat, $8,000 on golf, $26,000 on music equipment, $18,000 on photography, $50,000 in food expenses (amounts as of fall 2002).

-- A loan of over $200,000 of donated money to a Director's (Mary Moe Miller's) brother.

I don't begrudge them making a lucrative living, but what comes out of this financial information is that GWP seems to be a very profitable BUSINESS, rather than an educational research charitable nonprofit. GWP profits are blatantly being distributed as expenses to directors and staff, and to overhead, in what appear to be perks, such as boats, expensive cars ($235,000 worth in 2002), Florida property and fancy residences, profitable stock market investments in Milacron, and lavish investments in equipment.

I'm very familiar with many nonprofit organizations that always strive to use excess donations for charitable operations, not internal largesse on this massive scale.

If I were Laurie, Mary Ann, Susan, Maureen, or Chloe, I would suggest getting on the GWP payroll instead of holding your Puck and making donations. You'll feel a lot better, and more prosperous. At Gentle Wind's rates plus expenses, most people wouldn't mind working 80 hours a week. At the very least, Gentle Wind could offer a small stipend for all your strident work defending this profitable business.

Has anyone seen the Judy Garvey "evidence"? It is a list of media publications posted on her web site. This is an amazing list. Here's how it works.

Judy Garvey engages (maybe hires) Special Investigations Agency to act as her publicist. SIA, passing as an investigative service, sends out press releases to television and newspapers in the manner of a paid publicist. The press releases contain false undocumented Garvey stories but the stories are sensational and catch the attention of the media in some places.

The places where publicists from SIA send their press releases are usually places where Gentle Wind does Seminars. Garvey's stories designed to destroy Gentle Wind's work are aimed at frightening people in each community away from receiving possible help from Gentle Wind.

After the false stories are published through the efforts of the "volunteers" from SIA, Garvey lists the publications on her web site as confirmation that what she has said about Gentle Wind is true. Clever, but not real evidence for court. It looks to me like Garvey does her magic with smoke and mirrors.

The good thing is that smoke and mirrors don't work in court.

I've noticed that Gentle Wind is going to Seattle soon. I bet the SIA boys passing as investigators are sending out their press releases now. If the game goes according to plan, some weekly or other paper will pick up the sensational lies and SIA will once again have gathered more "evidence" for the Garvey case. Watch the Garvey web site for a posting from a Seattle publication.

I also noticed that Gentle Wind is publishing full page ads in the publications where SIA is trying to spread poison on Garvey's behalf. Those ads, in my opinion, shed a lot of light on the Garvey team. Looking forward to the next piece of Garvey "evidence."

I am a volunteer for Gentle Wind.I have attended over twenty five seminars in the last four years.I am in contact with volunteers from all around the world.

Not one of us has ever heard Mary Miller say that The Gentle Wind Project (GWP) was poor. We have all heard Mary Miller describe the history of Gentle Wind and how the funding for the Project came from current staff. I have heard Mary Miller say that the staff personally lived below the poverty line for over a decade in the early years.

Joe from Gig Harbor has once again made a false claim. Mary Miller never said Gentle Wind "can barely afford rent, utilities, and food." She spoke of the HISTORY and the early days when the Project was struggling.

All non-profits need funding. The amazing thing about GWP is that people like Joe who don't want to support this non-profit can still get free mental and emotional help from Gentle Wind. Gentle Wind staff salaries are well within IRS guidelines especially for people who average an 84+ hour work week, something that Joe probably did not know.

Joe should produce evidence of his claims. Gentle Wind, like most non-profits, allows people who have been helped and want to support their research to use a credit card or a check. My public television station also a non-profit, allows people to make monthly donations via credit card. In fact, my public television station encourages people to do so if they are satisfied with the programming. There are no improprieties in Gentle Wind tax returns. There are just people making false claims for the purpose of destroying a very helpful and reputable non-profit organization. One can only wonder why anyone would want to stop people from obtaining free mental and emotional help.

Finally, Gentle Wind is supposed to be spending their funds on research. They don't have to justify spending funds on research because that is their mandate. Whay they have to do is to show how they have utilized various equipment in the research process. I can assure Joe that about 75 of us who attended this year's summer conference were shown an enormous body of documented evidence that will satisfy any official agency and any conscious donor who comes from a place of good will. Enough false claims.

Chloe of Utah, as a research sample of one, is demonstrating how the GWP instruments work more to "alleviate" clarity and balance.

She should try holding her holy hockey puck for TEN minutes this time, while chanting, "I CAN be a nice person!...I CAN be a nice person...."

John, it is too late to head for your gardens. You have made your statements and, like all members of the Judy Garvery group, you can all look forward to the American justice system to unravel the truth (or lack of it) behind your statements.

In my last posting, it was mentioned how the Internet can work for you, or against you. Unfortunately, this belated advice is being demonstrated all over the Internet with trying consequences for GWP management.

When criticism of GW first appeared on the Internet a Public Relations firm, with Internet savvy, should have been consulted, not a law firm whose high-priced legal advice may not have considered the potential unwanted public relations consequences for the group that would result from a very public lawsuit played out on the web. With 15 million websites and 53 million Americans making contributions, lawyers are inadequate to control information and silence criticism.

Now, a statement by none other than the USC Annenberg Journalism Review/Law, using the GWP vs. Rick Ross action as an example, stating: Overzealous Lawyers Beware: Today's Sites Are Fighting Back. . . .Lawsuit Regarding Internet Freedom of Expression. The article refers to the lawsuit as . . . a frivolous filing by the group The Gentle Wind Project,' also attempting to squelch critical reports on the Internet.

In light of this, it is apparent that GW's managers unwittingly stumbled into a course of action that:

-- Projected an image of being litigious, inviting comparisons to other groups and individuals that use these tactics;

-- Drew attention to negative information about themselves, their organization, and Gentle Wind's credibility;

-- Augmented the coffers of a costly law firm while irresponsibly depleting resources meant for GWP;

-- Created a public relations fiasco.

Another example of PR mismanagement: Mrs. Miller who, although trying vainly to modify public information, ineptly and consistently draws attention to the wrong subjects. Mrs. Miller should have her public statements carefully reviewed by her colleagues in GW with more experience in these matters. In one brief letter to the editor, subsequently available on the Internet, Mrs. Miller managed, without thinking, to associate GW with 14 boxes of documentation going to the Maine Attorney General investigation, a lackluster lawsuit, criticism by quackwatchers, and made numerous other unnecessarily defensive statements. In more amateurish public pronouncements, Miller and other GWP associates sound like Scientologists, threatening legal action against any and all perceived detractors. Instead, Mrs. Miller needs to get smart and use valuable access to the media as vital opportunities to emphasize positive, not offensive, statements about GWP.

And then there's Chloe of Utah, another recent example of vulgar use of the Net, posting an unwarranted, transparent, and futile attempt here at legal scare tactics. People who read that posting will certainly not come away with a good impression, and will discover how GW deals with people who may not agree. This type of unauthorized advocacy should be controlled by the organization, as the I'm gonna sue you clich does more harm than scare. One of the credentialed healthcare professionals at Gentle Wind should recommend that Chloe of Utah hold a trauma card for five minutes to get over this rough spot before she has a deposition.

By placing the entire Public Relations burden, along with Chloe, on poor Mrs. Miller of New Hampshire, it is apparent that the present top-down management of GW is going in the wrong direction. A more enlightened web-friendly open source style of organization, opening up participation in planning and implementation among GWP staff, volunteers, and the general public, and eliminating the apparent C-like hierarchy, would create a new image and dynamic. It would mean moving away from an ego-centric GWP to a network-centric organization of equals. Mr. John Miller of New Hampshire, and the other Millers, could possibly dispel the Guru / Joseph Smith of Utah appearance by dialoguing via the net with donors and IKs. A decent human voice, from this planet, is what people yearn for. Give it to them.

In general, if GW doesn't want to appear like a cult, then they should avoid acting like one.

I am not part of any group period. I have finshed with Gentle Wind and wish them all the best. I have simply not seen any one benefit from the use of the instruments and I have told Gentle Wind of this and I would like to see how people have been helped by this instrument. I no longer have my instrument, its been thrown away. In any case, I have no more to do with it and any one who wants to help the world with instruments of any kind, good luck to them.May they succed beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

As far as I am concerned may Gentle Wind find an instrument that would save the whole planet. I would love to see one that actually works. Your reply is simply vindictive. I don't see the point in going on like that. I shall spend my time henceforth simply gardending and have nothing to with any newage inventions for the rest of my time here on this planet. May you also find the peace and happiness you seek.

I understand that as a member of the Judy Garvey group John would like The Gentle Wind Project to go away. He and his group members would like to see all the people in the world who are being helped by their instruments do without. They would like to see the suffering and anguish continue. Fortunately for humanity, it looks like Gentle Wind is not going to fold as John would like. I, for one am happy to hear that John from Brisbane Australia finally has the heartache. He and the members of Judy Garvey's group want a lot of people who have done good work in the world to carry their heartaches.

John of Brisbane Australia recently told a Canadian journalist that he had shared his healing instrument with some three thousand people with no positive results. Now, judging from the many clinical trials done by reputable health care professionals that I have seen, in every group studied, the majority of people received some help. The probability of John from Brisbane Australia sharing his instrument with three thousand unresponsive people is statistically unlikely.

We would ALL like to see John's records. I am sure that if John was involved with the Gentle Wind Project for all those years that he claims, that he would have reported his findings to the Project and they would have taken notice of them. I wonder what John DID report. As for your heartache John, if I were you I would invest in some anti-acids or something because, while I am no legal expert, I suspect that your false public claims have earned you at least a deposition in the Gentle Wind lawsuit. The great thing about depositions is that you DO have to show your records and your word IS checked against your documentation. If you make a claim that the pucks are made of sand, you get to show your chemical analysis. If, say, three thousand people were unresponsive, you get to show your records.

John, I for one look forward to your new involvement with the American justice system. It is quite a good system really. Made-up stories, suppositions and false claimes just don't make it here. Maybe the Aussies go for that kind of stuff, but we Americans like the cold hard facts here. Keep up the good work and maybe you will land yourself a place in the lawsuit. You can always call upon Carl from the Special Intimidation Agency. He's a volunteer and will help you for free. Get out the Rolaids.

Just have the good sense to close shop would about cover it all. It would save all concerned any more heartache.

TO: Supporters of GWP

Your postings have helped me think out of the box about suggestions on GW's situation.

I noticed on the net a statement by health care professionals in support of GWP. This makes GW look more professional, but unfortunately, it should have names and affiliations to add legitimacy. On the negative side, there are more and more sites on the Internet making GW the butt of gratuitous cult jokes. This type of thing has no doubt proliferated mostly as a consequence of the lawsuit, providing cruisers on the Internet a free opportunity to take sides and weigh in. The Internet can work for you as well as against you.

The following suggestions would definitely help dispel the cult image and get GW back on track:

-- They should eliminate references to the spirit world. This doesn't distinguish GW because of the many groups, known to be cults, that make the same claims.

-- Get rid of the nicknames, such as Moe and Tubby. And all the Millers. This sends the wrong message to anyone on the outside. This cute touch is marginal and doesn't play on the Internet, if you want to increase GW's appeal to professionals. The common last name is reminiscent of some notorious families, and thus doesn't help GW's image and only serves to arouse curiosity.

-- Change some of the names of the GW products. Most of them sound like they're left over from Star Trek in the 70's. Use names that appeal to mainstream health care professionals rather than bliss-seeking new-agers, healers, and trekkies. Unless you're selling to hockey fans, the Puck has to go.

-- Get Mr. John Miller, and the other Millers, out in the public to show he is not some mystical guru type surrounded by devoted groupies. If anything will help get rid of the C image, this will.

-- I don't want to offend anyone, but the defensive writing style and name calling in the GW literature, and on this forum, is embarrassing to read. An advertising agency would be able to represent the organization and its products in a much more acceptable way. Short of that, hire an experienced copywriter. Drop the gobbledygook.

-- GW could benefit by an outside view of itself. The GW literature and membership postings sound like the choir singing to the choir with few new ideas that I can see. The members or IK's, as they call themselves, shouldn't be representing GW. Their attempts to help are reinforcing the image of a group of followers, rather than being proactive participants.

-- On the economic front, get GW on a strict budget and reallocate some resources from boats, planes, electronic equipment, and counter-productive and expensive legal costs to hiring more staff and doing more outreach.

-- GW should consider donating money to local charities, supporting community activities, and assigning some of the directors, especially Mr. Miller, to high visibility in these activities. Outer directed activity, for any organization, as opposed to energy directed inward, reaps all sorts of benefits.

The above suggestions are but a few, but if taken, the public will be less inclined to think of GW in terms of the C word.

If I were the people at the Gentle Wind Project I would be looking forward to depositions and the subpoena of financial records. Then we will all know the truth about SIA and their funding as well as the truth about the Garvey and Bergin assets. Personally, I can't wait.

Nearly $900,000.00 in 2001 for some unorthodox research, including observing people woodworking, boatbuilding and sailing, is excessive for a non-profit to justify to its donors, as are disproportionate assets.

Fiscal responsibility is different from an organization's charter. Gentle Wind, like other non-profits, is required to use donated funds prudently in the pursuit of its stated goals. It's difficult to see how these large investments, in what appears to be hobbies, are justifiable.

A better managed Gentle Wind would result in great reduction of instrument costs to your customers. This would free up more money to allocate to proactive work.

I would suggest an independent auditing firm to advise on legal and moral expenditures, not Gentle Wind's own researchers. That's like Ken Lay reporting on Enron to the shareholders.

As for the cost of a lawsuit against unwanted publicity, I would suggest that, due to the nature of the Internet these days, it is folly to expend donors' money on something that can't be controlled. The most cost-effective way to deal with information on the Internet is to ignore it and invest the organization's resources in public relations and increased customer services. My advice to the managers of Gentle Wind is to hire a smart businessperson, instead of attorneys, to advise them.

Lawsuits are like red flags that draw attention to the issues rather than the products, and cast suspicious lights over the businesses involved. Litigation should only be considered for very serious crimes, which, unless I'm missing something here, doesn't seem to be the case.

It's your money. . .

The facts regarding searches being performed were reported by an eye witness who was searched at the seminar as were the other facts that I reported.

Now I undestand that Moe has told a report that she believe that I and SIA have taken thousands of dollars as payments to support the lawsuit defendants. Please pass on to Moe that I, like the other peole involved at SIA are VOLUNTEERS. I have not taken a dime from anybody nor have I asked for any money from anybody connection with our investigation of SIA. I don't draw a salary from SIA. My time is donated. My only motive to prevent the public from a fraud that is being perpetrated by GWP. And is Moe things she can intimidate me with the threat of a lawsuit. She can ask her attorneys to explain an anti-SLAPP motion as well as Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

By the way, why does GWP continue to duck my questions are change the subject?

I was personally lied to by Gentle Wind staff who said to me that the Gentle Wind Project was so poor! The Gentle Wind Project staff claimed their existence was threatened then too, by a lack of funds. (It wasn't detractors then). It's one thing or another with the Gentle Wind Project isn't it?

That was in September of 2002. Now that I know otherwise, having seen tax returns for 2001 and 2002, I can't understand why the Gentle Wind Project needed to lie in the first place. Every time I called, I got the same story from the staff at the Gentle Wind Project.

I've worked in the non-profit sector. A lot of non-profits serving the public don't get $1 million in donations in a year. The American Heart Association is an example of a research non-profit that uses less than 25% of it's donations for overhead. There's no comparison to the Gentle Wind Project.

The wages of the staff of the Gentle Wind Project are median income where I live. The cost of living in Kittery is only 2% higher. The same staff at Gentle Wind enjoy the benefit of having their housing provided for them by the Gentle Wind Project. They don't need 30% of their income for housing like the rest of us. Do the math for yourself. Who is poor?

I've met people at Gentle Wind seminars, and seen people living on social security signing up to give the Gentle Wind Project all the money they can for one little instrument. They can barely afford rent, utilities and food. The Gentle Wind Project discourages them from using instrument keepers for maintenance but, they still want the asking donation amount, so they offer to break it up in payments. How free is that?

The end does not excuse the means for me. These people are profiting hand over fist. They were even asking for donations for a defense fund. I wonder what they'll ask for next.

It seems like a couple of people posting on this board recently are basing their opinions on one experience with the Gentle Wind Project. My advice is not to be so sure. I am not basing my opinion one experience with the Gentle Wind Project. And, I wish now that I'd never heard of them.

Yes Susan you are right that we all feel better when you state that you are a consumer and do not make the false claim to be an employee.

Don, you are painting a false picture of the Gentle Wind Project, which clearly shows you have no real first hand knowledge of this Project or the work they do. Are you a consumer or an instrument keeper? If not, it is understandable that you have a false idea of GWP. There is a small group of people out on the Internet trying to scare people away from the Gentle Wind Project with false information.

You obviously lack information about the nature of non-profit organizations; they are not all lumped together under the same charter. Gentle Wind is an education and research 501(c)(3) type of non-profit. You are right that they spend funds on equipment of all kinds. Gentle Wind exists to try to eliminate mental and emotional pain and suffering in the world. In order to do so, they conduct research to study people and how people respond under a wide variety of conditions. I know because I participated in the woodworking, boat building and sailing research. They have had research groups engaged in boat building, boat rehabilitation, sailing, building and flying model airplanes and helicopters, home construction, auto mechanics, photography, painting and drawing, speaker building, ham radio, woodworking, welding and a whole lot more. Gentle Wind is well within the parameters of what it is chartered to do when it uses its funds on the equipment necessary to carry out research on the human condition and produce healing instruments related to this research.

Non-profits engage in activities appropriate to their charters and spend their funds accordingly: the Jimmy Fund spends money on research related to cancer treatment particularly for children. It does not provide food for the homeless because that is not in its charter. It researches and studies cancer treatment and if money needs to be spent on equipment necessary to do this particular research, the Jimmy Fund does so. The Red Cross charter is to provide certain kinds of services and goods in disaster and war torn areas such as food and shelter and blood. It spends money on any equipment it needs to fulfill its charter. The Don Imus Ranch spends a huge amount of money on equipment to give children who are ill certain experiences.

Don also needs to remember that no non-profit can carry out its purpose without funding and that funding goes to fulfilling the mandates of the organization's charter.

I attended this year's annual conference where I saw twenty-one years of careful documentation showing study after study, accounting for all of the equipment. You have misperceived the situation, as Judy Garvey wants people to do.

From what I saw last summer, Gentle Wind is legal and moral concerning their expenditures. All the carping is because a small group of people used a tax return, a public document, to try to scare you.

Yes Susan you are right that we all feel better
when you state that you are a consumer and do not make the false claim to be an employee.

Don, you are painting a false picture of the Gentle Wind Project, which clearly shows you have no real first hand knowledge of this Project or the work they do. Are you a consumer or an instrument keeper? If not, it is understandable that you have a false idea of GWP. There is a small group of people out on the Internet trying to scare people away from the Gentle Wind Project with false information.

You obviously lack information about the nature of non-profit organizations; they are not all lumped together under the same charter. Gentle Wind is an education and research 501(c)(3) type of non-profit. You are right that they spend funds on equipment of all kinds. Gentle Wind exists to try to eliminate mental and emotional pain and suffering in the world. In order to do so, they conduct research to study people and how people respond under a wide variety of conditions. I know because I participated in the woodworking, boat building and sailing research. They have had research groups engaged in boat building, boat rehabilitation, sailing, building and flying model airplanes and helicopters, home construction, auto mechanics, photography, painting and drawing, speaker building, ham radio, woodworking, welding and a whole lot more. Gentle Wind is well within the parameters of what it is chartered to do when it uses its funds on the equipment necessary to carry out research on the human condition and produce healing instruments related to this research.

Non-profits engage in activities appropriate to
their charters and spend their funds accordingly: the Jimmy Fund spends money on research related to cancer treatment particularly for children. It does not provide food for the homeless because that is not in its charter. It does research and study cancer treatment and if money needs to be spent on equipment necessary to do this particular research, the Jimmy Fund does so. The Red Cross charter is to provide certain kinds of services and goods in disaster and war torn areas such as food and shelter and blood. It spends money on any equipment it needs to fulfill its charter. The Don Imus Ranch spends a huge amount of money on equipment to give children who are ill certain experiences.

Don also needs to remember that no non-profit can carry out its purpose without funding and that funding goes to fulfilling the mandates of the organization's charter.

I attended this year's annual conference where I saw twenty-one years of careful documentation showing study after study, accounting for all of the equipment. You have misperceived the situation, as Judy Garvey wants people to do.

From what I saw last summer, Gentle Wind is legal and moral concerning their expenditures. All the carping is because a small group of people used a tax return, a public document, to try to scare you.

I would like to respond to Carl's mention of the recent Gentle Wind Project seminar in San Diego.
His accusation was that the people connected with the Gentle Wind Project were searching people for hidden cameras and microphones.

I am a volunteer who helped with registration at this very same seminar and I was stunned to hear his accusation because I saw absolutely nothing of the sort.

The public was invited to use a Gentle Wind Project healing instrument free of charge within the first hour of the evening. If someone wished to stay for the optional two-hour lecture that followed, there was a $20 donation for that.
How many talks, concerts, and events have any of you gone to where you were asked for some remuneration to help with expenses involved in providing the event for you. It has nothing to do with getting to use an instrument. Anyone was able to do that for no charge.

It amazes me how people can twist and contort the truth such as what Carl has done, so they won't look wrong.

I'm happy to see that during his absence Carl has found that there are more things to life than responding to every post as he had been doing here in the past and instead has taken an accelerated course in English grammar and orthography as his current posting lacks all of his customary misspellings, missing words and grammatical mistakes. Or perhaps someone else out there is making a false claim in Carl's name?

I would also like to reply to Carl's false claims concerning the recent seminar in San Diego.

I was present at the seminar and I can state that no one was at any time checking any of the attendees for hidden cameras and microphones. This did not happen. It is a false claim.

Furthermore, Moe Miller did not spend 5-10 minutes berating Carl and SIA and making threats of a frivolous lawsuit. These are also false claims. Moe Miller briefly described the current situation regarding the detractors of the GWP and mentioned SIA and Carl Starrett as part of this group. She stated that they were not part of the lawsuit at this time and might or might not be in the future. If anyone is guilty of threatening frivolous lawsuits it is Carl. He is proclaiming all over the media and the Internet that he has threatened the San Diego Humane Society and the GWP with lawsuits.

One interesting possibility to think aboutDo legitimate investigation agencies make up false claims? Wouldn't it be more likely that the false claims that Carl is making regarding the GWP are an indication that SIA is being paid by another party as a publicist rather than a legitimate investigation agency?

Some of you might want to run this by Maureen's accountant.

According to accepted accounting standards, in my experience, for charitable non-profits, as this group claims to be, a large percentage of donated income is used for charitable operations.

In this case it appears that Gentle Wind uses donated funds (mind you, this is not technically their money), on ASSETS such as boats, cars, photography, golf, electronics, property, etc. --all listed under the general category of "research." From what I see, this "research" results in new upgraded brands of healing products that, in turn, generate more donated funds that go into more research (asssets).

Aside from the INCIDENTAL unit cost of free instruments, this group uses most of their donated income INTERNALLY rather than, like most charitable organizations, on needy members of society.

Most non-profit charities I've worked with take very little for internal operations and overhead, choosing to use scarce donations on their charitable work.

In comparison, this group's use of charitable donations seems neither scarce nor charitable, contributing a bounty to those fortunate enough to be on the inside.

Some of you might want to run this by Maureen's accountant.

According to accepted accounting standards, in my experience, for charitable non-profits, as this group claims to be, a large percentage of donated income is used for charitable operations.

In this case it appears that Gentle Wind uses donated funds (mind you, this is not technically their money), on ASSETS such as boats, cars, photography, golf, electronics, property, etc. --all listed under the general category of "research." From what I see, this "research" results in new upgraded brands of healing products that, in turn, generate more donated funds that go into more research (asssets).

Aside from the INCIDENTAL unit cost of free instruments, this group uses most of their donated income INTERNALLY rather than, like most charitable organizations, on needy members of society.

Most non-profit charities I've worked with take very little for internal operations and overhead, choosing to use scarce donations on their charitable work.

In comparison, this group's use of charitable donations seems neither scarce nor charitable, contributing a bounty to those fortunate enough to be on the inside.

Some of you might want to run this by Maureen's accountant.

According to accepted accounting standards, in my experience, for charitable non-profits, as this group claims to be, a large percentage of donated income is used for charitable operations.

In this case it appears that Gentle Wind uses donated funds (mind you, this is not technically their money), on ASSETS such as boats, cars, photography, golf, electronics, property, etc. --all listed under the general category of "research." From what I see, this "research" results in new upgraded brands of healing products that, in turn, generate more donated funds that go into more research (asssets).

Aside from the INCIDENTAL unit cost of free instruments, this group uses most of their donated income INTERNALLY rather than, like most charitable organizations, on needy members of society.

Most non-profit charities I've worked with take very little for internal operations and overhead, choosing to use scarce donations on their charitable work.

In comparison, this group's use of charitable donations seems neither scarce nor charitable, contributing a bounty to those fortunate enough to be on the inside.

Some of you might want to run this by Maureen's accountant.

According to accepted accounting standards, in my experience, for charitable non-profits, as this group claims to be, a large percentage of donated income is used for charitable operations.

In this case it appears that Gentle Wind uses donated funds (mind you, this is not technically their money), on ASSETS such as boats, cars, photography, golf, electronics, property, etc. --all listed under the general category of "research." From what I see, this "research" results in new upgraded brands of healing products that, in turn, generate more donated funds that go into more research (asssets).

Aside from the INCIDENTAL unit cost of free instruments, this group uses most of their donated income INTERNALLY rather than, like most charitable organizations, on needy members of society.

Most non-profit charities I've worked with take very little for internal operations and overhead, choosing to use scarce donations on their charitable work.

In comparison, this group's use of charitable donations seems neither scarce nor charitable, contributing a bounty to those fortunate enough to be on the inside.

I am astounded at the similarities between Judy Garvey's "story" and Ivan's writings. Before being asked to leave Gentle Wind, Judy Garvey had many positive things to say. According to Eye of the Sky (before it closed) Judy Garvey was quoted in newspapers in Maine. She said, "In my life, I contribute much of my own and my husband and my children's success to this technology." She was refering to Gentle Wind instruments. She also said: "There is no group to join. There aren't any leaders or gurus."

Then, she changed her "story" after being asked to leave. Ivan became her publisher. Ivan uses words like "brainwashing" "mind control" "sexual abuse" and "sex slaves." He talks about a "secret society" that has taken over the world. Judy Garvey and Jim Bergin used similar words like "mind control" "cult" "brainwashing" "sexual rituals."

They seem to have the same ideas and concerns. I don't think it was a coincidence that Ivan published her "story." I appreciate the person who brought Ivan's writings to light. This material answers a lot of questions for me.

Maureen,
Are you kidding me?
Why is it that you and any other people who are still believers in the Gentle Wind Project are so full of anger and venom. I have nothing against you or any of the other "Instruments Keepers". In fact I thought that you were a nice person, (I'm starting to think maybe not so nice, lol) although perhaps a little misguided. But you persist in trying to villafy me. Why?? Why all the personal attacks?

Perhaps I'm hitting a little too close to home and you're starting to question things? Maybe all your beliefs are starting to unravel just a bit and it feels scary? So you're lashing out at me? If that's what's happening then that's ok I can handle it. Eventually you'll figure it out and get through it, just like I did.

Isn't it too bad that the "healing instruments" don't work, it would certainly be wonderful if they did. That's probably part of the reason why it's so hard to give up your belief system about them. We all love the idea of being able to help other people, and it seemed so easy too. Just hold a pretty piece of plastic in your hand for 5 minutes and be healed. It couldn't be any simpler than that, could it? Unforturnately it is too good to be true.

I guess you've got to figure this out on your own, just like I did. I hope you do and can find some peace.

Just to claify things, I never claimed to have done any scientific studies with the people whom I shared the healing instruments with. It's just my own personal observations. Sorry if that's a problem for you, I didn't realize that no one is allowed to change their mind or opinion about anything. I'll try to remember that next time.

I would also like to ask a question about the "scientific studies" done recently by the Gentle Wind Project. Who conducted these double blind studies? Was it done by an independent group or by Gentle Wind Project itself?

So I'm done for now, if it makes you feel better go ahead and take your next potshot at me!!!


P.S. I checked off "Consumer Comment" this time, does that make you happy? I'm sure it's a big relief for anyone else reading this.

I don't think there is any confusion about what Judy Garvey has said. Her statements are very clear. I do not think that she knows the difference between a personal opinion and accusing a group of people of criminal activity on a public forum. She did accuse people from Gentle Wind of things like sexual abuse, mind control, child neglect, misusing non-profit funds, and other things. I hope she has proof for what she has said.

She also doesn't seem to understand that it is against the law to deliberately destroy another person's business. Judy Garvey didn't just post a personal story. She accused a group of people of crimes. She went out on the Internet day after day and posted derogatory statements about Gentle Wind everywhere she could. She wrote e-mails and sent letters. I know because I have one of each asking me to "join her" cause. What Judy Garvey did was deliberate, intentional, and aimed at destroying this project.

If I were her lawyer, I would encourage her to quit before she makes her own situation any worse.

The research in question is that of the Gentle Wind Project's!

It seems to me that it does not help to create an image of integrity for the Gentle Wind Project, for the public to see that organization's representative's, their instrument keepers, attacking a former instrument keeper to produce some negative research to support their opinion. It's a free country. Each and every one of us are entitled to our opinion!

Furthermore, it is my opinion that if the Gentle Wind Project had such convincing positive research results, they would be scrambling to make that available to their opponents. If the Gentle Wind Project had such positive research, they would be satisfied that it would win support for them by being viewed by critics. The Gentle Wind Project wouldn't need their instrument keepers to charge after those who would criticize them, like trained dogs.

And, I just have to say this. The postings of Maureen and other instrument keepers here are so immature, and so childishly combative I won't be bothering to read more. Viewing them, I can't see much value in the Gentle Wind Project at all. The behavior of the Gentle Wind Project's representative's are a complete turn off all by themselves.

The research in question is that of the Gentle Wind Project's!

It seems to me that it does not help to create an image of integrity for the Gentle Wind Project, for the public to see that organization's representative's, their instrument keepers, attacking a former instrument keeper to produce some negative research to support their opinion. It's a free country. Each and every one of us are entitled to our opinion!

Furthermore, it is my opinion that if the Gentle Wind Project had such convincing positive research results, they would be scrambling to make that available to their opponents. If the Gentle Wind Project had such positive research, they would be satisfied that it would win support for them by being viewed by critics. The Gentle Wind Project wouldn't need their instrument keepers to charge after those who would criticize them, like trained dogs.

And, I just have to say this. The postings of Maureen and other instrument keepers here are so immature, and so childishly combative I won't be bothering to read more. Viewing them, I can't see much value in the Gentle Wind Project at all. The behavior of the Gentle Wind Project's representative's are a complete turn off all by themselves.

The research in question is that of the Gentle Wind Project's!

It seems to me that it does not help to create an image of integrity for the Gentle Wind Project, for the public to see that organization's representative's, their instrument keepers, attacking a former instrument keeper to produce some negative research to support their opinion. It's a free country. Each and every one of us are entitled to our opinion!

Furthermore, it is my opinion that if the Gentle Wind Project had such convincing positive research results, they would be scrambling to make that available to their opponents. If the Gentle Wind Project had such positive research, they would be satisfied that it would win support for them by being viewed by critics. The Gentle Wind Project wouldn't need their instrument keepers to charge after those who would criticize them, like trained dogs.

And, I just have to say this. The postings of Maureen and other instrument keepers here are so immature, and so childishly combative I won't be bothering to read more. Viewing them, I can't see much value in the Gentle Wind Project at all. The behavior of the Gentle Wind Project's representative's are a complete turn off all by themselves.

The research in question is that of the Gentle Wind Project's!

It seems to me that it does not help to create an image of integrity for the Gentle Wind Project, for the public to see that organization's representative's, their instrument keepers, attacking a former instrument keeper to produce some negative research to support their opinion. It's a free country. Each and every one of us are entitled to our opinion!

Furthermore, it is my opinion that if the Gentle Wind Project had such convincing positive research results, they would be scrambling to make that available to their opponents. If the Gentle Wind Project had such positive research, they would be satisfied that it would win support for them by being viewed by critics. The Gentle Wind Project wouldn't need their instrument keepers to charge after those who would criticize them, like trained dogs.

And, I just have to say this. The postings of Maureen and other instrument keepers here are so immature, and so childishly combative I won't be bothering to read more. Viewing them, I can't see much value in the Gentle Wind Project at all. The behavior of the Gentle Wind Project's representative's are a complete turn off all by themselves.

You can rant all you want. You can try to destroy GWP's work in the world. You can try to scare away people who could benefit from this help. You can spend the rest of your life doing this and the Gentle Wind Project will still be standing because their technology really works.

And no matter what you say, your words, "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," to any rational healthy clear thinking person are understood to be an apology.

Steve, I've looked at your web site and see that you sell energy healing products and therefore one might conclude that you are in competition with the Gentle Wind Project. Are your products recognized by healthcare workers around the world who could give testimonials on your web site? I could not find any product reviews on your site.

You can rant all you want. You can try to destroy GWP's work in the world. You can try to scare away people who could benefit from this help. You can spend the rest of your life doing this and the Gentle Wind Project will still be standing because their technology really works.

And no matter what you say, your words, "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," to any rational healthy clear thinking person are understood to be an apology.

Steve, I've looked at your web site and see that you sell energy healing products and therefore one might conclude that you are in competition with the Gentle Wind Project. Are your products recognized by healthcare workers around the world who could give testimonials on your web site? I could not find any product reviews on your site.

You can rant all you want. You can try to destroy GWP's work in the world. You can try to scare away people who could benefit from this help. You can spend the rest of your life doing this and the Gentle Wind Project will still be standing because their technology really works.

And no matter what you say, your words, "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," to any rational healthy clear thinking person are understood to be an apology.

Steve, I've looked at your web site and see that you sell energy healing products and therefore one might conclude that you are in competition with the Gentle Wind Project. Are your products recognized by healthcare workers around the world who could give testimonials on your web site? I could not find any product reviews on your site.

You can rant all you want. You can try to destroy GWP's work in the world. You can try to scare away people who could benefit from this help. You can spend the rest of your life doing this and the Gentle Wind Project will still be standing because their technology really works.

And no matter what you say, your words, "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," to any rational healthy clear thinking person are understood to be an apology.

Steve, I've looked at your web site and see that you sell energy healing products and therefore one might conclude that you are in competition with the Gentle Wind Project. Are your products recognized by healthcare workers around the world who could give testimonials on your web site? I could not find any product reviews on your site.

In response to Susan of Kingston ...Someone who doesn't admit this until she's confronted? How many other false statements has she made?

I was incorrectly listed as an employee when I first posted on this site and I immediately wrote to the editor and had this error corrected.

I'm glad Susan of Kingston mentioned a double blind study that would include a sham instrument as a control because it has already been done by a fully credentialed health care professional. Results showed that the Gentle Wind healing technology proved to be effective over the sham instrument. The presentation of this research was made this summer at the GWP conference that I attended describing exactly the type of research Susan proposed in her posting and, in fact, the results of the research showed the GWP healing technology to be effective with the population in question.

I'm sure everyone posting on this website would like to see Susan's research - the 200 subjects she was involved with, her clinical trials, her outcomes. It wasn't until March 2004 when she read Bergin and Garvey's Internet stories that she thought her own research was invalid. Susan seemed to stop believing in herself after reading these stories. I would like to see the evidence she has that show what Bergin and Garvey say is true. Susan, please post all the evidence you have stating that what Bergin and Garvey has said is truenot their personal opinions, personal feelings, not their urge to get back at the Gentle Wind Project because Garvey was asked to leave her post as a volunteerbut your real evidence.

Susan you say that you want to warn people about the Gentle Wind Project. Are you trying to warn people from getting free healings? There are millions of people who have received free healings from GWP healing technology and never given a nickel and GWP has not chased them around asking for money. You yourself could have been one of those millions. So what are you saying when you say you want to warn people? Do you mean you are warning them not to get free help? Do you mean you want to warn the people in Iran who are getting free trauma relief after suffering the loss and devastation of an earthquake? Or do you want to warn the children in the orphanages in Thailand, or the poverty stricken victims of terrorist bombing in Bali, or the cancer and AID's victims getting relief from emotional distress? Or the victims of the hurricanes in Florida, or of the terrible conditions in Kosovo or Albania, or the war veterans who have received free help? Warn them all against the free help they have gotten or could get? Your words reveal who you are as a person rather than anything about the Gentle Wind Project.

I've been reading Rip Off Report for a while, never heard of the Gentle Wind Project until the other day. I took the time to check out their website, the opposing view sites, and the victim response web site.

This non profit org is border line at best, they have compared themselves with other non profits in which they share no comparison to. Any type or org that states that they can divine healing powers from the spirit world through one or more of their members through instruments designed by the spirit world tends to smack of cult by me, especially if they themselves have no plausable explanation, or any true research to back it up.

I would like to arrange sessions of visits with an instrument keeper along with a university research group, doing a double blind experiment, to document contact with these items, using scientific methods to analyze these objects. The Gentle Wind Project should allow themselves to be subject to these tests to validate their position. Since they haven't in the past 20 years I assume they won't ever.

I can see how they can, over time, manipulate an otherwise sane person to become dependent on their 'spirital healings' just as Scientology keeps people climbing a non existence latter to get rid of Theatans (sp) that turn out to be aliens made up by L. Ron Hubbard that were trapped on Earth millions of years ago (where is the scientific evidence of that? Take it on 'faith')

Regardless of any religious belief I may have, I can be skeptical and still have a faith, however my faith on certain things perpertrated by man wanes when it comes to holding objects, or hearing words from a stranger that may generally apply to me or anyone. A positive benefit from any style of placebo effect can be a good thing, but only in the context in which it is delivered, so a question remains, Why don't these healing instruments work for the long term? If these entities in the spirit world want to help mankind, then make one instrument that works, have the people that channel these things make them, and give them away. Any other prospects smack of quackery, and the continued use of these readings and production of these instruments, while denying any other method of wholeness and completness again smacks of a cult.

On a personal note: If I feel I need to have a 'healing sensation' I take an asprin and lick a nine volt battery.

Folks, modern medical care isn't all that bad, it isn't perfect either, use common sense, If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I've got some rocks I prayed over, I'll send them to you for the price of postage. The Catholic Church has holy water, Heck, the St. Matthews Churches (search Rip Off Reports) beg for your prayers to be sent in...

In the end, If it worked for you GOOD, but if you use these folks as a long term treatment, you will be deceived, denied, and victimized. I tend to beleive Mr. James Bergin on the windsofchange site, mainly because after a long amount of time, and an unnatural marital relationship, he was able to heal himself and his spouse using his intellect, researching the behavior and finding his answers, that the long term relationship with the GWP amounts to a cult. The GWP website did not tell me anything to the contrary. I also read Ivans and Steve's report, it showed me that GWP was muscling in on their belief system, perhaps their incomes.

If you want to change my mind, you have to show me. Otherwise I'll just throw my money away on Enzyte, because I'm stupid and too cheap to get Viagra.

Your Faithful Rip Off Report Reader,

When I was into Gentle Wind, I bought two of their books, Psychology of Spiritual Growth, and Modern Religion, and showed them to my relatives, two of whom know survivors. They were heartsick that I was involved with a group that could write such derogatory things about Jews (and others). With the help of my family and the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services of NY, I was able to sort out (and throw out) the assumptions I had made about these Gentle Wind people, but it took awhile. These books are out there and you can read them.

Be careful of these people. They are not what they appear to be to some of you.

Susan of Kingston, MA now states that the vast majority of people who I have had use the 'healing instrument' (which numbers close to 200 people) felt no difference and wanted nothing more to do with the 'healing instruments' Yet, prior to reading the Judy Garvey information in March 2004, a Susan from Kingston, MA stated both verbally at seminars and in written chat room postings that she saw positive changes in herself and in the people who used her Gentle Wind Project (GWP) healing instruments.
As a health care professional, part of the training I received had to do with learning about how research is conducted and how results are obtained. I had to learn the principles of experimental design and how to determine statistical significance. I have seen some of the research done by health care professionals who have used GWP instruments with populations in excess of 200 people. In their professional opinions, a majority of instrument users in each population experienced some positive outcomes. The probability that Susan of Kingston, MA had a population of 200 people with such limited results would be somewhat extraordinary and again not consistent with her own previous reporting.
It would be more credible if Susan would post more details of her research records, including the nature of the population under study and the measurement tools she chose to determine the instrument effectiveness. Documentation for the claim Susan is making would be very important in assessing her current claim. This seems even more essential given the fact that she seems to be contradicting herself.
Thank you for posting my comment.

Contrary to popular belief, I'm still alive and well and on the campaign trail. There are more things to life that responding to every single post on this thread. Rest assured, however, that I am preparing my novel off line and will post it after the election.

Just a couple of quick observations regarding the most recent posts. The recent posts are fairly consistent with GWP strategy, attack the messenger, avoid the topic and try to change the focus. I've posed a number of questions regarding GWP lies and inconsistencies, including false or made up quotes on their web site, lack of scientific evidence and studies to support their claims and a myriad of other issue. When I question the credentials of the "medical professionals" that claim the devices work, they attack my motives or falesly claim that I am insulting only women. Questioning credentials or pointing out the logical fallacies of an argument is not an insult, but I will be equally critical of men or women who have been duped by this organization and then defend it like they were defending their religious faith and making claims that have nothing to do with their so-callled medical training or back ground.

I was particularly amused by statements made by Moe Miller at the recent seminar in San Diego. According to witnesses, they were checking all attendees for hidden cameras and microphones and spent 5-10 minutes berating me and Special Investigations Agency and discussed possibly legal action. You can tell Moe that I am not afraid of her group and will not be intimidated by threats of a frivolous lawsuit. And I'm stilling waiting for any proof of your scientific studies. You know where to find me.

To clear up confusion about what we have actually said concerning our 17 years as members of the gentle wind project, we have added a statement to Wind of Changes, a website for former gwp members, and are also posting the statement here for those of you who may not have read our accounts.

Many people writing here are personally known to us, as we have been friends for years through our mutual attraction to gentle wind. We continue to wish our old friends well, and hold out the possibility that the time may come when we can meet again. We have no quarrel with any of you.

Some people here have expressed disbelief that individuals could sing the praises of gwp at one point in their lives and then change their minds. We believe that it's quite possible to have it both ways but not at the same time. For many years we spread the word of gwp to anyone who would listen, and did our best to argue against any detractors.

Now we are simply writing the truth about our personal experiences. We are grateful to anyone who accepts our right to do this.

Jim and Judy

Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey
Blue Hill, ME, USA


Statement Concerning Our Personal Stories:

Prior to our 17-year interlude with the Gentle Wind Project leaders and followers we had long-term careers as book publishers. During these years we were often in the position of evaluating manuscripts, both in terms of literary style and plot. It was usually not very difficult because a good story with merit had the effect of what James Joyce called an epiphany, or in his words, a revelation of the whatness of a thing. Such a story produces an effect that goes beyond words because it rings true to the reader.

In reading the GWP leaders' story about us, we are confronted with a difficult and contrived plot, with questionable effect, which goes something like this: that these two former GWP members, Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey, concocted stories about GWP, referred to in the GWP story as vicious attacks (among other unimaginative descriptive terms used). The GW plot accuses us of being motivated by the desire to use our so-called tabloid writing to promote lucrative careers as cult deprogrammers and sought-after public speakers. This supposed notoriety would also increase our material worth as a result of taking business away from this charitable nonprofit organization.

The non sequitur with the Gentle Wind leaders' plot which was, until recently, outlined in detail on GWP's eye of the sky website is: How could two people write personal stories with such demeaning details A Husband's Perspective and Insiders' Stories and expect to be financially and professionally rewarded? Our personal stories contain biographical details that one would wish to withhold from family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. It is not the stuff of vainglorious career enhancement.

As we say here in Maine, That dog won't hunt. However, when it comes to the current venue for these types of plots, the standards are much lower, so to clarify and give the GWP story a dose of reality, we wish to offer the following statements:

1) Our intent in writing our stories was to provide an alternative view of the Gentle Wind Project based on our personal experiences spanning seventeen years as former followers and, for a number of years, on the GWP Board of Directors. As we say in the Prologue to A Husband's Perspective, Take what you want and leave the rest.

2) There is not, and has never been, any commercial activity, self-promotion, financial gain, conspiracy with co-defendants (the other folks sued by Gentle Wind's leaders), commercial speech, cult-speaking business, counseling, or cult deprogramming activity engaged in by Jim Bergin or Judy Garvey, alone or with anyone else.

3) There is no material gain of any kind related to our stories about our personal experiences with GWP.

4) Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey each individually wrote and edited their own stories, A Husband's Perspective and Insiders' Stories, about their personal experiences with GWP leaders and followers. No one, including other defendants in the GW lawsuit, contributed writing or editing. No one made suggestions on ideas, content, or format of our personal stories, or was aware of their existence or content.

5) The 2003 AFF panel that Jim Bergin was to give a presentation on, as alleged by GWP as an example of commercial activity, never took place, nor did we attend the AFF conference. Had Jim Bergin taken part on a panel, there would have been no payment, exchange of value, or financial gain of any kind.

6) There is no Maine Cult Information Network, as assumed by GWP's leaders, nor has there ever been one. Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey had discussed forming such a voluntary support group, but abandoned the idea before beginning. Had a Maine cult information network ever been formed, it would have been a support group with no exchange of money, donations, or services, as can be found with thousands of other support groups for people looking for a place to talk with peers about shared experiences.

7) Judy Garvey's hypnotherapy practice has always been less than part-time (one-half day per week). Judy Garvey has not, and couldn't possibly have, expanded her hypnotherapy practice as a result of telling her personal story about her seventeen years with GWP.

8) In their lawsuit, the GW leaders used an ad from our son's painting business, which they apparently found in our small town's weekly newspaper, to allege that Jim Bergin is profiting by an increase in carpentry work by the public sharing of his personal story about life with GWP. There is no relationship between Jim Bergin and this ad used by GW leaders, and Jim Bergin has not, and couldn't possibly have, expanded his carpentry business as a result of telling his personal story about his seventeen years with GWP.

9) Our stories are autobiographical and not fiction another term created by GWP leaders to lessen the impact of what we have written.

10) Rather than defamatory attacks, tabloid writing, and other pejorative and prejudicial labels used by GW's leaders about what we have written in our personal accounts of experiences with the GW group, a more accurate and literate description is "the truth." The standard for a defamatory attack can, however, be found in GWP's referring to the author of Insiders' Stories as a post-menopausal schizophrenic in need of HRT [hormone replacement therapy].

11) The terms sexual abuse, sexual molestation, domestic abuse, and child abuse were not used by us, but were concocted by the GWP leaders on their websites; their newsletters to instrument keepers (Gentle Wind Project News; also removed recently from the Internet); on their GWP Discussion Boards (closed to non-members); and in GWP's lawsuit. We attempt, in our personal stories, to analyze the coercive techniques, equating the origination of new healing instruments with group sexual activity termed energy work, used by the GW leaders as a potential inducement to participation in GWP's energy work with the leader of GWP and the female followers, including Judy Garvey.

12) If requested to do so during the course of defending against the GWP lawsuit, Judy Garvey will supply a list of names of individuals known to her who participated in the GWP energy work (group sexual activity) discussed in the personal stories on this website.

13) We are defending against the GWP leaders' lawsuit ourselves, from personal income and from a loan secured against our home, at great personal sacrifice. The Bergin-Garvey household does not have the luxury of a collective income based on large salaries and followers' donations, nor do we have a legal defense fund.

14) The correct titles to our personal stories are A Husband's Perspective, and Insiders' Stories. These stories have never been titled "Bergin Report" and "Garvey Report," both titles imposed by GW's leaders and passed along to their followers.

15) Our intent in writing our stories was to provide an alternative view of the Gentle Wind Project based on our personal experiences spanning seventeen years as former followers and, for a number of years, on the GWP Board of Directors. Please take what you want and leave the rest.

Since Ivan has identified himself as one of the lawsuit defendants, whose opinions of the GWP are far from complimentary, I believe it is important to know about some of Ivan's work as it appears on his web site.

Ivan was one of the first people to publish the material written by Judy Garvey. Ivan's web site also includes an entire page dedicated to selling two CDs, called "The Experiment" and "Germany's War." His web site describes these CD's as follows: Astonishing scientific research showing no evidence that the infamous death camp' Treblinka even existed; and Text and documentary footage of why the official history of mass gassing in the concentration camps was scientifically impossible including Scientific testimony pertaining to the lack of evidence of any chambers for human gassing.

Ivan's web site directs people via links to the historian David Irving. The links page describes Irving's web site as The world's foremost WW2 historian presents regular news on the truth regarding the war, the Holocaust. The Anti-Defamation League calls David Irving one of the best-known Holocaust deniers in the world. In a case that made world-wide headlines in 2000, an English court said it is fair to describe David Irving as one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial.

Ivan's web site describes an article from Ivan's magazine, The Truth Campaign, as follows: An independent investigation of 9/11 includes evidence that the entire event was staged by Zionist aggressors.

Ivan has also co-authored a book called "Lifting the Veil." The web site contains excerpts from the book, which includes references to American presidents such as: In 1983, George Bush [apparently referring to the elder] began sodomizing and electrocuting Kelly, now merely three and a half years old. Or Cathy O'Brianbecame what is known as a Presidential Model,' a sex slave used specifically by the presidents for perverted abuse. Or The most sinistermind control programmerun on behalf of the CIAwhereby the minds of women and children are brutally taken over to provide paedophiles, politicians, criminals and practicing Satanists with willing sex slaves

So I question the credibility of some of the posters on this website. Members of my family perished in the Holocaust. I grew up in a Jewish community and personally knew people who experienced and survived the Holocaust. I heard first hand of the grief and torture they endured. I for one can tell Ivan that the mass gassings did happen. There is an overwhelming amount of horror, pain and suffering these survivors carry with them to this day. I strongly believe that people who claim the Holocaust did not happen should be ashamed for disavowing and dismissing the thoroughly documented anguish of millions of people.

If Ivan is the one discrediting the Gentle Wind Project, count me in as a supporter of the GWP. And, for your information, the GWP has helped many Holocaust survivors.

First of all Maureen how would you like me to be represented here, there were only a few choices and none of them really applied, so I guess I very mistakenly checked off ex-employee, I'm not really sure what you or I should be called, but if you want to be completely ridiculus then please feel free.

Now let's see, do I want my money refunded to me? Absolutely! Is that the only reason that I've stepped up to the plate and told my story, no it is not. The main reason that I've spoken at all is because I do not want to see other people taken in by Gentle Wind Project. Maybe it should be re-named Gentle Rip-off Project.

Every single time one of you people tell of all the help and healing that the Gentle Wind Project has unselfishly given to the world,it is completely unprovable.

I have an idea why doesn't the Gentle Wind Project do a double blind study. In this study they can take one of their so called "healing instruments" and have a group of people use it, then at the same time they could have another group of people use a similar looking healing instrument that looks just like the Gentle Wind Projects healing instrument, but without the fancy magnets/crystals/herbs/cell salts/ect and see what kind of effect it has. Both groups can be given the exact same story as to the benefits of using these healing instruments. Now that might be an interesting scientific study don't you think?

For seven years I completely believed in the Gentle Wind Project and yes I thought that I was helping people and I thought that I could see a difference in some of the people that used the healing instruments. Of course that's what I saw, because it's what I wanted to see. Unfortunately nobody else could see any difference, it was just me who thought I could see a difference. It's amazing what we can make ourselves believe. It wasn't until I started doing a little research on my own that I finally saw the light and realized what the Gentle Wind Project is. I was completely and totally devestated when I found out the truth. So you guys can keep on saying whatever it is that you want about me. I don't care. I know the truth and nobody is going to get me to stop telling my truth by twisting up everything that I ever wrote or said before or after I did my own research. The truth will win out in the end. You can't stop it.

Dear Chloe,

With respect, you appear to be making some bold statements and jumping to outrageous assumptions, if you don't mind me saying so.

I'll address your opening statement first. Let me be very clear here. The evidence' I referred to in my reply to Maureen had NOTHING to do with the 'efficacy' of the Healing Instruments. I have said on many occasions that the efficacy of the Healing Instruments is a very subjective issue.

As an example, I believe that you could add a few essential oils and some fancy colouring to an ordinary bar of soap, and with the right marketing and the right hype behind the promotion, you could quite easily convince gullible, or vulnerable people to believe that this bar of soap was the next best thing to sliced bread. With the right marketing and a few believers' who had a vested interest in the promotion and the sale of the soap, I believe you could, eventually, if desired, convince enough people to believe that the ingredients' of the soap had even been channelled directly from the Gods themselves and that this soap' had some kind of magical healing power. Simply allow the power of belief' to take over and the rest, as they say, is history. Oh, and you could make a lot of money from it all too! (The simplicity of how easy it was to do this was recently the topic of a BBC TV programme, though it was not about a bar of soap, it was about successfully creating, promoting and selling an unhealthy food product that was 'perceived' by the public to be a 'healthy' product.)

To clarify this point, the efficacy' of the Healing Instruments was never an issue in our defence. Therefore your first statement is wholly incorrect.

However, if the occasion had presented itself, and I had been offered the opportunity, then I would have presented evidence from the science of biophysics to demonstrate the importance of maintaining a healthy and intact human energy field. I would have demonstrated how the human energy field correlates with the energy field of a cell and the energy (magnetic) field of the Earth to PROTECT us from EXTERNAL energies that could potentially threaten the health and wellbeing of the earth/human/cellular organism. This would have served the purpose of demonstrating, from a scientific footing, that ANYTHING or ANYBODY that deliberately opened up the protective human energy field could leave us vulnerable to potentially damaging EXTERNAL energies/influences, and that this would not necessarily be good for us at all.

However, I digress. This was also not the 'evidence' I was referring to in my reply to Maureen. I will not expand further, but instead refer you to the Agreement, Paragraph 3, which states, Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to limit any party from providing testimony in any court proceeding, or providing answers in response to questions posed by governmental investigative or law enforcement authorities. Our attorney was well aware of the evidence' we had and our concerns about protecting it. This is why the Agreement is worded the way it is. In plain English, this means that our evidence' and testimony' is protected and we are free to present either or both at any time in the future should it be requested or become necessary for us to do so.

I'll now come to your point about the apology. I infered in my posting is not an apology per seif you choose to see thisas some form of apology, then that is fine by me' So I have NO PROBLEM with the word apology as you are keen to try and imply.

So, for the sake of this debate, let us agree that this IS an apology. What I was pointing out to Maureen, and where you seem to be missing the point totally, is that IT IS AN APOLOGY TO BOTH PARTIES! Here is the Statement (apology) in full:

We have removed links to the web sites of the Gentle Wind Project and that of certain persons formerly associated with Gentle Wind Project. There have been controversial charges and denials made by the publishers of these web sites, and these are currently the subject of litigation pending in the United States District Court. Equilibra does not have independent first hand knowledge of the veracity of these charges and denials, and for that reason has determined not to republish them. Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of the prior publication.

Let us now break this statement down and highlight significant words and to use your terminology so that any rational clear thinking healthy person knows what the words mean.

The first sentence refers to web sites of the Gentle Wind Project AND that of certain persons' This is a CLEAR reference to BOTH party's web sites.

There have been controversial CHARGES AND DENIALS made by the publishers of THESE web sites' Again, it is very clear to any rational clear thinking person that this statement, being in the plural and covering both charges and denials, once again refers to the PUBLISHERS of BOTH web sites.

These [charges AND denials] are currently the subject of litigation pending in the United States District CourtEquilibra does not have independent first hand knowledge of the veracity of these CHARGES AND DENIALS' Again this is a very clear reference to the CONTENT on BOTH web sites (and their respective publishers). and for THAT REASON has determined not to re-publish them.'

So the REASON for removing links to BOTH of the publisher's web sites was twofold. One, because the CHARGES and DENIALS are litigation pending', and two, because we did not have first hand knowledge' of these CHARGES and DENIALS.

Equilibra regrets' is therefore, an apology to BOTH parties. It is also an apology to the public for making litigation pending' information available, and also to everybody mentioned in these CHARGES and DENIALS. This IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO ANY FREE THINKING PERSON.

So you can see that this is not the work of a master of spin' as you are trying to make out. Maybe you should look a little closer to home? As for spin, turn, twist, rock, roll, yell, scream and so forth, I believe that this is you projecting your own actions onto others to try and muddy the waters'.

I have to say that in my opinion your reply, and some of the other replies from Instrument Keepers on this board, seems to me to create more damage to the GWP cause' than anything the perceived detractors' have posted.

I only posted a reply to Maureen because I believed she has seriously misrepresented the resolution of the lawsuit and the Agreement and I felt it was important to address and correct this mistake before these incorrect assumptions became historical facts' and then part of somebody's belief system.

Finally, I would like to say that this will be my last posting as I have better things to do with my time than become embroiled in what I believe to be - in some cases at least - emotional outbursts and expressions of childish tantrums. The Agreement' is the agreement and is available for all to download and read in full. WE are not trying to hide anything. Therefore, I respectfully suggest to those people who cannot seem to accept what this agreement really means, and who would choose to try and misrepresent it's meaning to others, that I believe it will be they who, in the end, will eventually lose their credibility, not us.

When one group comes to believe that they have found the only way to solve life's problems -- as seems to be the viewpoint of many Gentle Wind followers writing here -- it naturally becomes quite difficult to understand how someone could, after seven years, dump the only system in the entire universe that "has all the answers."

Well, Maureen and Mary Ann, in spite of what they may say, this group does not have the answers for most people, though this appears to still hold true for you. In my opinion, on the face of what I've read and observed, Gentle Wind is, like most other "only" belief systems, highly dubious.

Yes, Maureen and Mary Ann, there is life outside of GW, and I suspect that others who have written here have figured that out. For those of you who still feel that this is the only true system it is understandably anxiety producing to see a fellow believer leave, as it causes you to wonder that if GW is so absolutely perfect, why isn't everyone clamoring to join up and why are so many others moving on. None of us likes to lose a friend or acquaintance in this way, but if you let yourself look around there's a lot more than GW happening, some of which is very positive. Most of the other choices are much less costly, more open, and don't need lawyers to sue individuals that disagree.

You might try to rethink your reasons about why these people are changing. I don't think it's about the money. If they were your friends, you don't need to lose them for the sake of your belief in Gentle Wind, or because they no longer have that as their main focus. Tolerance for others outside of your belief system, instead of critical remarks, is a good thing.

It is obvious from taking a look at the Internet that any information on GWP that the Attorney General in the State of Maine might have received came about through Judy Garvey and the GWP lawsuit defendants' concerted efforts to attack GWP. There are Internet postings in numerous chat rooms and other places encouraging detractors to send information to government agencies and describing the fact that GWP detractors have sent their information off to government agencies. Now after nearly a year of such postings no government agency has found any wrong doing with GWP.

The detractors of GWP make numerous false claims on this website. Rational people might examine the possibility that the Attorney General in Maine also received false claims. Time will tell where the real wrong doing can be found.

If you understand the nature of GWP's research you would know that their project is set up to study people engaged in all kinds of human activities. I will not go into detail here, but I do know that it is perfectly legal and moral to study people while they are building boats, flying model airplanes, building and using electronic equipment, engaged in woodworking activities and other positive endeavors for research purposes and that they have all of the documents necessary to support their expenditures. This documentation was shown to more than 70 of us at their annual conference last summer. Claiming that their tax returns, which are public record, are proof of wrong doing is ludicrous.

It is your OPINION, Maggie, of GWP's tax returns that you think is a sign of wrongdoing. In a legal forum, such as a courtroom, documentation is what counts. Opinions do not mean anything. Misinterpreting the tax returns, Maggie, does not give you a case against GWP. I was curious like you and looked at GWP's tax returns with my accountant friend and we both concluded that GWP's tax returns show no sign of wrong doing. Your misinterpretation of Gentle Wind's tax returns tells people much more about you than it does about GWP. You see evil in their tax returns but experts in the field of taxes see no evil here at all. It's gets back to: Why would a small group of people want to stop the work of volunteers aimed at alleviating human suffering and trauma relief in places like Iran, Bali, Thailand and many other troubled areas of the world? Take a look at the Gentle Wind Iran web site to get an idea how this technology is really and truly helping in the world.

What's in this for you?

Steve and Ivan settled the lawsuit because they had no proof, no clinical trials, no long-term user fate studies. All they had were personal opinions. Steve and Ivan are masters of spin and they know nothing about the research that the Gentle Wind Project has done.

Any rational clear thinking healthy person knows that the words: "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," is a public apology. The same apology appears on Ivan's Truth Campaign website.

Steve, you can spin, turn, twist, rock, roll, yell, scream, muddle and turn your words inside out, upside down and muddy the waters in regard to these words: "Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of this publication," but any rational healthy clear thinking person understands this to be a public apology.

I have looked at all of the postings and every time a woman posts, Carl was right in there insulting her. He finally did insult a man but as soon as the man confronted Carl directly, Carl ran. I knew kids in the schoolyard like Carl. They liked beating up on the girls. We called them bullies then, and I think that word applies here. The thing about the bullies in the schoolyard, they were always afraid of everything BUT the girls. So where is Carl now. Big brave Carl, where is he now?

Everything I have done and said on my website in response to the GWP's lawsuit has been in order to avoid becoming bankrupted by their lawsuit.

All it 'proves', in my opinion, is that GWP have lots of money and I have none - not even enough to defend myself in the USA's system of pecuniary punishment of the poor they call 'law' over there in the 'land of the so-called free'.

I HAD to defend myself or, like Mr Mander be ruled against by default. Therefore I HAD to find thousands of pounds that I cannot afford to avoid becoming a criminal by default in the USA, no matter how the facts lie.

I therefore HAD to embark on some kind of deal in order to avoid becoming bankrupted.

To stay the course would have cost me many more thousands, and on the outcome of the case, to recoup my losses would have cost many times again that amount.

The real question people should be asking is why, if GWP really believed they had a case, were they so prepared to drop it against me, having accepted so much money in donations from people who believed that I am a liar and a criminal? They acted on conviction of the verity of their case, represented those who donated towards it and spent a large amount of money merely to drop it before it even got to the first hurdle.

What does that say about anyone's 'case' Maureen? I've told you why I made the deal - what about GWP's motivations? What about their confidence in THEIR case? Ever tried to consider BOTH sides of an argument?

I HAD to make the agreed statements on my website and I HAD to make amendments to my article and magazine because of the pressure put upon me by the US legal system acting on behalf of the GWP.

I HAD to pay lawyers money I do not have and therefore now face financial hardship as a result.

However, I have not paid one cent to GWP nor retracted my belief in the verity of anything I have ever said about them - neither do I have to according to the mutual agreement between me and the GWP. I apologise for any 'unwarranted injury' - yet have seen no evidence yet of any. But should any arise, I will be the first to accept responsibility for my role in it.

I withdraw links from my site to information that I cannot personally verify (including, if you care to read the paragraph unbiasedly, statements by GWP in rebuttal of allegations), yet do not in any way withdraw my belief in the verity of anything I formerly supported. I withdraw links and amend some of my writings and apologise for unwarranted injury still - this has been imposed upon me, it was NOT my free choice! The only choice I made was to make a deal or face bankruptcy.

I do not disparage GWP, yet am allowed to state my verifiable personal opinion, according to my contract with GWP. Even so, my opinions remain far from complimentary - even in the newly-censored versions.

Were I a rich man, no deal would ever have been brokered.

Now, Maureen, YOU read what is written on my website and try and understand the reality of the situation.

NB: I do not endorse nor reject any statements regarding the GWP on this site. I merely express my personal opinion exactly as stated in this message.

In response to Susan of Kingston, MA I would like to say that my personal experience of the Gentle Wind Project and their healing technology over the past 20 years, the same time period that Judy Garvey is talking about, bears no resemblance to Ms. Garvey's. I was a subject in the early research GWP was conducting, I participated in the various research involving boat building and woodworking and was a witness to the lifestyle of the staff. I can attest to the veracity of the statements that GWP has made. They are a non-profit corporation dedicated to education and research aimed at alleviating human suffering and trauma. They do this work every day of the year; they work 70 to 80 hours a week. They do not take vacations and they do not have expensive recreational past times. Everything they do, even the food they eat, is part of the research involved in developing the technology to make this planet a healthier, saner place to live. They gave up their lives to this project and they do not live the good life. They do what needs to be done to further the research not what they would personally prefer to be doing at any given moment. I have seen this with my own eyes over 20 years. If Susan of Kingston, would rather believe the defendants claims that's her right, but they have no more creditability than I do and their statements do not constitute huge evidence against GWP. They are simply statements from someone who was asked to leave a volunteer position that wasn't working out and is apparently not happy about that.

It appears that Susan is the same Susan from Kingston MA that I met at the GWP Summer Conference in 2003. If not, I apologize for the mistaken identity. I followed her postings along with several other GWP discussion group members concerning homeschooling with great interest last year. I too am very interested in homeschooling and shared many of their concerns and feelings about the damages incurred by children in the current educational system. I also had great empathy for Susan's feelings and could identify with them as I had had very similar feelings about my parenting of my own children.

It seems that both Susan and I have homeschooled our children because we were aware of the damage that school does to children. Homeschooling is a way to protect children's individual personalities from being destroyed and enable them to grow up as self-determining individuals, free to be themselves, see things for what they are, and make responsible decisions about their lives instead of the empty, lost souls who don't know what to do with their lives that so often come out of the educational system. As Susan knows, Gentle Wind is, and has been, a proponent of homeschooling for many years and has written a great deal of material on the subject. Why would a mind control cult be trying to open people's eyes to the iniquities of the current educational system that produces so many mindless individuals unable to see reality clearly or make decisions that foster their own well being? Why would a mind control cult encourage parents to give their children a home-based education that produces self-determining independent individuals over whom GWP would have absolutely no control and no influence? It just wouldn't make sense.

Personally, I began homeschooling my children after I read the GWP education newsletters. Gentle Wind never interfered with my children and me. My children have grown up to be very independent responsible adults who live their own lives and have chosen to homeschool their own children so that they will not be damaged by the current educational system. As one mother to another, I know of Susan's concern for her children. I've been there and I hear her concern in the postings on the discussion group concerning education and schooling and her children. I cannot describe the immense gratitude in my heart when I look at my grandchildren and see what healthy, happy undamaged beings they are and I know that I have GWP to thank that the cycle of damage is finally broken in my family. This is beyond price.

There are several postings that Susan of Kingston might want to look at again. The posting by Susan of Durham, CT on 10/25/04 refers to the outreach work that GWP is doing in the world. There are hundreds of healing instruments being sent for free to areas of the world devastated by war, natural disasters, poverty, illness etc. She should take a look at the website that has information and testimonials from Iran where people's lives were completely devastated by an earthquake that killed about 50,000 people and flattened the city of Bam. The only thing these people in Iran know about GWP is that someone cared about them and gave them healing instruments free of charge that have helped to relieve their suffering. I thank you Susan of Kingston for any donations you made to the GWP that enabled these people to get relief from suffering.

I also thank you for your donations that enabled me to bring healing instruments given to me free of charge to bring to orphanages in Thailand last spring. I cannot tell you of the unbearable suffering I saw there. Children in deplorable circumstancesseveral to a bed, covered in bedsores, taken and laid on the cement floor and washed down with a hose when they needed their diapers changed. Children whose bodies were contorted and crippled. One child in particular was dying, unable to eat without vomiting, her twisted body in great pain, no smiles, only depression and suffering. Because she was considered to be a hopeless case, I was allowed to first place the trauma card on her body and then share it with others. This dying child is now smiling again, she is no longer depressed and she is able to eat without vomiting. No other treatment was being given to her. This child knows nothing of the GWP and she will probably never know anything about it. I couldn't even speak her language but she knew that she felt better after holding the healing instrument. Thank you again for your donations that allowed this to take place.

Judy Garvey in a recent television interview attacking the Gentle Wind Project stated that: I was promised that I would be able to help people, help save the world. That was my goal. I too have the same goal and I am eternally grateful to the Gentle Wind Project for giving me the opportunity to help people in impoverished corners of the globe like Thailand, and Bali and to see others involved with GWP taking these instruments to places like Iran, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Pakistan, etc.

In response to Susan of Kingston, MA I would like to say that my personal experience of the Gentle Wind Project and their healing technology over the past 20 years, the same time period that Judy Garvey is talking about, bears no resemblance to Ms. Garvey's. I was a subject in the early research GWP was conducting, I participated in the various research involving boat building and woodworking and was a witness to the lifestyle of the staff. I can attest to the veracity of the statements that GWP has made. They are a non-profit corporation dedicated to education and research aimed at alleviating human suffering and trauma. They do this work every day of the year; they work 70 to 80 hours a week. They do not take vacations and they do not have expensive recreational past times. Everything they do, even the food they eat, is part of the research involved in developing the technology to make this planet a healthier, saner place to live. They gave up their lives to this project and they do not live the good life. They do what needs to be done to further the research not what they would personally prefer to be doing at any given moment. I have seen this with my own eyes over 20 years. If Susan of Kingston, would rather believe the defendants claims that's her right, but they have no more creditability than I do and their statements do not constitute huge evidence against GWP. They are simply statements from someone who was asked to leave a volunteer position that wasn't working out and is apparently not happy about that.

It appears that Susan is the same Susan from Kingston MA that I met at the GWP Summer Conference in 2003. If not, I apologize for the mistaken identity. I followed her postings along with several other GWP discussion group members concerning homeschooling with great interest last year. I too am very interested in homeschooling and shared many of their concerns and feelings about the damages incurred by children in the current educational system. I also had great empathy for Susan's feelings and could identify with them as I had had very similar feelings about my parenting of my own children.

It seems that both Susan and I have homeschooled our children because we were aware of the damage that school does to children. Homeschooling is a way to protect children's individual personalities from being destroyed and enable them to grow up as self-determining individuals, free to be themselves, see things for what they are, and make responsible decisions about their lives instead of the empty, lost souls who don't know what to do with their lives that so often come out of the educational system. As Susan knows, Gentle Wind is, and has been, a proponent of homeschooling for many years and has written a great deal of material on the subject. Why would a mind control cult be trying to open people's eyes to the iniquities of the current educational system that produces so many mindless individuals unable to see reality clearly or make decisions that foster their own well being? Why would a mind control cult encourage parents to give their children a home-based education that produces self-determining independent individuals over whom GWP would have absolutely no control and no influence? It just wouldn't make sense.

Personally, I began homeschooling my children after I read the GWP education newsletters. Gentle Wind never interfered with my children and me. My children have grown up to be very independent responsible adults who live their own lives and have chosen to homeschool their own children so that they will not be damaged by the current educational system. As one mother to another, I know of Susan's concern for her children. I've been there and I hear her concern in the postings on the discussion group concerning education and schooling and her children. I cannot describe the immense gratitude in my heart when I look at my grandchildren and see what healthy, happy undamaged beings they are and I know that I have GWP to thank that the cycle of damage is finally broken in my family. This is beyond price.

There are several postings that Susan of Kingston might want to look at again. The posting by Susan of Durham, CT on 10/25/04 refers to the outreach work that GWP is doing in the world. There are hundreds of healing instruments being sent for free to areas of the world devastated by war, natural disasters, poverty, illness etc. She should take a look at the website that has information and testimonials from Iran where people's lives were completely devastated by an earthquake that killed about 50,000 people and flattened the city of Bam. The only thing these people in Iran know about GWP is that someone cared about them and gave them healing instruments free of charge that have helped to relieve their suffering. I thank you Susan of Kingston for any donations you made to the GWP that enabled these people to get relief from suffering.

I also thank you for your donations that enabled me to bring healing instruments given to me free of charge to bring to orphanages in Thailand last spring. I cannot tell you of the unbearable suffering I saw there. Children in deplorable circumstancesseveral to a bed, covered in bedsores, taken and laid on the cement floor and washed down with a hose when they needed their diapers changed. Children whose bodies were contorted and crippled. One child in particular was dying, unable to eat without vomiting, her twisted body in great pain, no smiles, only depression and suffering. Because she was considered to be a hopeless case, I was allowed to first place the trauma card on her body and then share it with others. This dying child is now smiling again, she is no longer depressed and she is able to eat without vomiting. No other treatment was being given to her. This child knows nothing of the GWP and she will probably never know anything about it. I couldn't even speak her language but she knew that she felt better after holding the healing instrument. Thank you again for your donations that allowed this to take place.

Judy Garvey in a recent television interview attacking the Gentle Wind Project stated that: I was promised that I would be able to help people, help save the world. That was my goal. I too have the same goal and I am eternally grateful to the Gentle Wind Project for giving me the opportunity to help people in impoverished corners of the globe like Thailand, and Bali and to see others involved with GWP taking these instruments to places like Iran, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Pakistan, etc.

In response to Susan of Kingston, MA I would like to say that my personal experience of the Gentle Wind Project and their healing technology over the past 20 years, the same time period that Judy Garvey is talking about, bears no resemblance to Ms. Garvey's. I was a subject in the early research GWP was conducting, I participated in the various research involving boat building and woodworking and was a witness to the lifestyle of the staff. I can attest to the veracity of the statements that GWP has made. They are a non-profit corporation dedicated to education and research aimed at alleviating human suffering and trauma. They do this work every day of the year; they work 70 to 80 hours a week. They do not take vacations and they do not have expensive recreational past times. Everything they do, even the food they eat, is part of the research involved in developing the technology to make this planet a healthier, saner place to live. They gave up their lives to this project and they do not live the good life. They do what needs to be done to further the research not what they would personally prefer to be doing at any given moment. I have seen this with my own eyes over 20 years. If Susan of Kingston, would rather believe the defendants claims that's her right, but they have no more creditability than I do and their statements do not constitute huge evidence against GWP. They are simply statements from someone who was asked to leave a volunteer position that wasn't working out and is apparently not happy about that.

It appears that Susan is the same Susan from Kingston MA that I met at the GWP Summer Conference in 2003. If not, I apologize for the mistaken identity. I followed her postings along with several other GWP discussion group members concerning homeschooling with great interest last year. I too am very interested in homeschooling and shared many of their concerns and feelings about the damages incurred by children in the current educational system. I also had great empathy for Susan's feelings and could identify with them as I had had very similar feelings about my parenting of my own children.

It seems that both Susan and I have homeschooled our children because we were aware of the damage that school does to children. Homeschooling is a way to protect children's individual personalities from being destroyed and enable them to grow up as self-determining individuals, free to be themselves, see things for what they are, and make responsible decisions about their lives instead of the empty, lost souls who don't know what to do with their lives that so often come out of the educational system. As Susan knows, Gentle Wind is, and has been, a proponent of homeschooling for many years and has written a great deal of material on the subject. Why would a mind control cult be trying to open people's eyes to the iniquities of the current educational system that produces so many mindless individuals unable to see reality clearly or make decisions that foster their own well being? Why would a mind control cult encourage parents to give their children a home-based education that produces self-determining independent individuals over whom GWP would have absolutely no control and no influence? It just wouldn't make sense.

Personally, I began homeschooling my children after I read the GWP education newsletters. Gentle Wind never interfered with my children and me. My children have grown up to be very independent responsible adults who live their own lives and have chosen to homeschool their own children so that they will not be damaged by the current educational system. As one mother to another, I know of Susan's concern for her children. I've been there and I hear her concern in the postings on the discussion group concerning education and schooling and her children. I cannot describe the immense gratitude in my heart when I look at my grandchildren and see what healthy, happy undamaged beings they are and I know that I have GWP to thank that the cycle of damage is finally broken in my family. This is beyond price.

There are several postings that Susan of Kingston might want to look at again. The posting by Susan of Durham, CT on 10/25/04 refers to the outreach work that GWP is doing in the world. There are hundreds of healing instruments being sent for free to areas of the world devastated by war, natural disasters, poverty, illness etc. She should take a look at the website that has information and testimonials from Iran where people's lives were completely devastated by an earthquake that killed about 50,000 people and flattened the city of Bam. The only thing these people in Iran know about GWP is that someone cared about them and gave them healing instruments free of charge that have helped to relieve their suffering. I thank you Susan of Kingston for any donations you made to the GWP that enabled these people to get relief from suffering.

I also thank you for your donations that enabled me to bring healing instruments given to me free of charge to bring to orphanages in Thailand last spring. I cannot tell you of the unbearable suffering I saw there. Children in deplorable circumstancesseveral to a bed, covered in bedsores, taken and laid on the cement floor and washed down with a hose when they needed their diapers changed. Children whose bodies were contorted and crippled. One child in particular was dying, unable to eat without vomiting, her twisted body in great pain, no smiles, only depression and suffering. Because she was considered to be a hopeless case, I was allowed to first place the trauma card on her body and then share it with others. This dying child is now smiling again, she is no longer depressed and she is able to eat without vomiting. No other treatment was being given to her. This child knows nothing of the GWP and she will probably never know anything about it. I couldn't even speak her language but she knew that she felt better after holding the healing instrument. Thank you again for your donations that allowed this to take place.

Judy Garvey in a recent television interview attacking the Gentle Wind Project stated that: I was promised that I would be able to help people, help save the world. That was my goal. I too have the same goal and I am eternally grateful to the Gentle Wind Project for giving me the opportunity to help people in impoverished corners of the globe like Thailand, and Bali and to see others involved with GWP taking these instruments to places like Iran, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Pakistan, etc.

In response to Susan of Kingston, MA I would like to say that my personal experience of the Gentle Wind Project and their healing technology over the past 20 years, the same time period that Judy Garvey is talking about, bears no resemblance to Ms. Garvey's. I was a subject in the early research GWP was conducting, I participated in the various research involving boat building and woodworking and was a witness to the lifestyle of the staff. I can attest to the veracity of the statements that GWP has made. They are a non-profit corporation dedicated to education and research aimed at alleviating human suffering and trauma. They do this work every day of the year; they work 70 to 80 hours a week. They do not take vacations and they do not have expensive recreational past times. Everything they do, even the food they eat, is part of the research involved in developing the technology to make this planet a healthier, saner place to live. They gave up their lives to this project and they do not live the good life. They do what needs to be done to further the research not what they would personally prefer to be doing at any given moment. I have seen this with my own eyes over 20 years. If Susan of Kingston, would rather believe the defendants claims that's her right, but they have no more creditability than I do and their statements do not constitute huge evidence against GWP. They are simply statements from someone who was asked to leave a volunteer position that wasn't working out and is apparently not happy about that.

It appears that Susan is the same Susan from Kingston MA that I met at the GWP Summer Conference in 2003. If not, I apologize for the mistaken identity. I followed her postings along with several other GWP discussion group members concerning homeschooling with great interest last year. I too am very interested in homeschooling and shared many of their concerns and feelings about the damages incurred by children in the current educational system. I also had great empathy for Susan's feelings and could identify with them as I had had very similar feelings about my parenting of my own children.

It seems that both Susan and I have homeschooled our children because we were aware of the damage that school does to children. Homeschooling is a way to protect children's individual personalities from being destroyed and enable them to grow up as self-determining individuals, free to be themselves, see things for what they are, and make responsible decisions about their lives instead of the empty, lost souls who don't know what to do with their lives that so often come out of the educational system. As Susan knows, Gentle Wind is, and has been, a proponent of homeschooling for many years and has written a great deal of material on the subject. Why would a mind control cult be trying to open people's eyes to the iniquities of the current educational system that produces so many mindless individuals unable to see reality clearly or make decisions that foster their own well being? Why would a mind control cult encourage parents to give their children a home-based education that produces self-determining independent individuals over whom GWP would have absolutely no control and no influence? It just wouldn't make sense.

Personally, I began homeschooling my children after I read the GWP education newsletters. Gentle Wind never interfered with my children and me. My children have grown up to be very independent responsible adults who live their own lives and have chosen to homeschool their own children so that they will not be damaged by the current educational system. As one mother to another, I know of Susan's concern for her children. I've been there and I hear her concern in the postings on the discussion group concerning education and schooling and her children. I cannot describe the immense gratitude in my heart when I look at my grandchildren and see what healthy, happy undamaged beings they are and I know that I have GWP to thank that the cycle of damage is finally broken in my family. This is beyond price.

There are several postings that Susan of Kingston might want to look at again. The posting by Susan of Durham, CT on 10/25/04 refers to the outreach work that GWP is doing in the world. There are hundreds of healing instruments being sent for free to areas of the world devastated by war, natural disasters, poverty, illness etc. She should take a look at the website that has information and testimonials from Iran where people's lives were completely devastated by an earthquake that killed about 50,000 people and flattened the city of Bam. The only thing these people in Iran know about GWP is that someone cared about them and gave them healing instruments free of charge that have helped to relieve their suffering. I thank you Susan of Kingston for any donations you made to the GWP that enabled these people to get relief from suffering.

I also thank you for your donations that enabled me to bring healing instruments given to me free of charge to bring to orphanages in Thailand last spring. I cannot tell you of the unbearable suffering I saw there. Children in deplorable circumstancesseveral to a bed, covered in bedsores, taken and laid on the cement floor and washed down with a hose when they needed their diapers changed. Children whose bodies were contorted and crippled. One child in particular was dying, unable to eat without vomiting, her twisted body in great pain, no smiles, only depression and suffering. Because she was considered to be a hopeless case, I was allowed to first place the trauma card on her body and then share it with others. This dying child is now smiling again, she is no longer depressed and she is able to eat without vomiting. No other treatment was being given to her. This child knows nothing of the GWP and she will probably never know anything about it. I couldn't even speak her language but she knew that she felt better after holding the healing instrument. Thank you again for your donations that allowed this to take place.

Judy Garvey in a recent television interview attacking the Gentle Wind Project stated that: I was promised that I would be able to help people, help save the world. That was my goal. I too have the same goal and I am eternally grateful to the Gentle Wind Project for giving me the opportunity to help people in impoverished corners of the globe like Thailand, and Bali and to see others involved with GWP taking these instruments to places like Iran, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Pakistan, etc.

Dear Maureen of Massachusetts,

My name is Steve Gamble and I have recently entered into a consensual agreement with the GWP in reaching a resolution of their Lawsuit. Therefore, with the greatest of respect to your recent opinion about this, I feel I am probably more qualified to talk about the lawsuit with regard to Ivan and myself than you are. I would like to point out what I believe to be a few errors in your recent posting.

I cannot comment on other defendants in this case or the implications this lawsuit may have upon them or the plaintiffs.

However, it is my personal observation from your statement which ends and a fourth has defaulted. that you are trying to infer some form of victory here to the GWP. As I see it, and this is only my opinion, the default' you refer to simply means to me that this particular defendant has chosen to ignore the lawsuit, and by all accounts, has since added even more information about the GWP to his web site. I do not believe that, as of today, this represents a victory for the GWP as you seem to be making out, but believe this action could be construed by some as being more along the lines of somebody giving the GWP the proverbial finger'.

Whether this was a wise choice to make by this defendant, only he knows, and I guess time will tell.

You state and are posting a public apology on. The statement' you refer to on our (Ivan and Steve's) respective web sites is not an apology per se, but a Clarification' (see Agreement). The laws are slightly different in the US to that of the UK, but Ivan and I agreed that as litigation was pending, then in the spirit of good will, we would remove links to ALL controversial charges and denials made by both parties.

We have removed links to the websites of The Gentle Wind Project and that of certain persons formally associated with The Gentle Wind ProjectEquilibra does not have independent, first hand knowledge of the veracity of these charges and denials

Hence the Clarification' that appears on our web sites to this effect. If you choose to see this clarification as some form of apology, then that is fine by me, but you should realise that the apology' would then apply to BOTH parties equally. Read the wording of the Clarification carefully.

You also state that, I don't think these defendants dropped out because they had a good case. Having been directly involved in this lawsuit from day one, I believe otherwise. I believe that Ivan and I had an excellent case, and in our opinion it was backed up with sound, solid evidence. It is my opinion and belief that the GWP did not want either of us in court for this reason. On the other hand, Ivan and I did not have hundreds of thousands of dollars to fritter away on what we believed was an unnecessary lawsuit either.

Therefore, in my opinion, it was in the best interests of both parties to reach a consensual agreement, based on common sense, and albeit, for differing reasons. Please read the Consensual Agreement so the facts agreed to cannot be distorted on this forum. It is a PDF File and can be downloaded here:
www.equilibra.uk.com/finalsettlement-gamble-signed.pdf

Here is a brief prcis of the agreement for those who cannot open PDF files, taken directly from the statement on my web site:

I am pleased to announce that the Lawsuit filed by the GWP against Steve Gamble (Equilibra) and Ivan Fraser (Truth Campaign) has now been dismissed from Court, with prejudice and without costs.

Finally, in the end at least, I believe this has been a victory for common sense and a victory to hold onto our right to free speech -made in the right context of course.

The GWP (the Plaintiffs) and Steve and Ivan have reached a consensual Agreement. Neither Ivan nor I have had to pay the GWP, the Plaintiffs, or the Courts any money whatsoever in reaching this agreement. It has cost us only our attorney fees.

This Agreement can be viewed here for those who may be interested, and also so there can be no misunderstandings as to what both parties have agreed to. The agreement is in PDF format

An article about the GWP (titled gentlewindupdate.pdf), slightly amended, written by Ivan and myself will remain on our web sites, but from hereon in, it is agreed that this particular article will not be altered or added to.

However, this does not prevent Ivan or I from reporting reliable, newsworthy and factual information about the GWP in the future, or from expressing our personal opinions about the effectiveness of the GWP's products, or providing critical observations about GWP products or claims where the criticism is based on information authored and published by governmental agencies or independent standards organisations, or on scientific, statistical or recognised qualitative analysis.

This agreement also means that the GWP and the Plaintiffs cannot engage in unsupported disparagement of either Ivan or myself. Likewise, we cannot disparage without support the GWP or the Plaintiffs either

From this prcis of the Agreement, you will appreciate that the statement in your posting They even state they could not verify the material they had published is also misleading, over-generalised and, therefore, incorrect. Material about the GWP (slightly amended) authored by Ivan and myself and published in the Truth Campaign Magazine, remains on our web sites, on the Truth Campaign CDRom and in the magazine as part of this consensual agreement.

Therefore, your implication that our published material is controversial', that we could not verify the material' and that it has been taken off our web sites is inaccurate and misleading.

It is my opinion that you are trying to portray in your post that the GWP have achieved some kind of victory here. This is not so. Without going into any specific detail, I can tell you that there is a considerable difference between this signed Agreement' and the initial demands asked of me by the GWP's attorney. I also believe that there are no human victors' here, no winners per se, except of course the usual suspects the lawyers :o), but, it must be said, without whose valiant endeavours, this agreement may never have seen the light of day. Thank you!

I trust my comments will allow people to understand more clearly the resolution of this lawsuit rather than trying to understand it through muddied waters'.

If this is the same Susan of Kingston that I knew, as it appears to be, I've heard Susan of Kingston speak at a seminar and I've read her postings on the GWP internet groups. Over the time that she was an instrument keeper she repeatedly made laudatory comments that the instruments were helping her, her family and the people she shared them with. I remember reading her posts about the relief she felt knowing she was a "live alone", and that as a result of using the GWP technology she was feeling less cranky, not as angry, much happier.

Now she says that not one person was helped not even herself. When is she telling the truth?

Why would she continue to share the instruments for 7 years if she did not feel the instruments had any beneficial value? Why would she be any more believable now than she was then?

To all considering donating to The Gentle Wind Project:

Buyer Beware. Please check with the State of Maine's Attorney General. Please read The Gentle Wind Project's tax returns. I didn't before I donated to them. Don't make the same mistake.

I found that former defendant's of The Gentle Wind Project,Ivan Fraser's and Steve Gamble's original articles, slightly amended, are available the public on their website(s). They contain thought-provoking criticisms of the energy of The Gentle Wind Projects' instruments which you may find interesting. You can find the article(s) on either website, or do a google search, or go here (and page down for the pdf file) http://www.equilibra.uk.com/lawsuit.htm.

To the people who lost their money to The Gentle Wind Project, and yet took the time to warn others here, or in other ways thank you.

OK folks, here are my final thoughts on GWP. If their "healing instruments" are truly able to heal as the GWP IK's profess, and GWP is truly a not-for-profit organization, whose sole purpose is to help humanity, then why hasn't medical science latched onto these instruments and used them extensively around the world?

I had never heard of GWP until seeing this report a few months ago, yet they have been around since the late 70's, with instruments in use since 1983. And I don't want to hear that it is because they don't advertise.

Don't you think that if these instruments truly are the miracles that GWP claims, then we would have ALL heard about it? Just like if someone found a cure for cancer, it would make medical news headlines around the world.

GWP posts lots of testimonials on their website. What about the testimonials of those who have had the fog of GWP lifted from them, and have seen the true nature of the beast?

Just some additional points to ponder.

I would like to respond to the recent postings on this website but particularly to Susan of Kingston, Massachusetts who posted on 10/25/04. I have been an instrument keeper involved with the Gentle Wind Project for well over 7 years and have known all of the staff and they have never had an employee named Susan in that time period so Susan of Kingston has misrepresented herself when she claims in the heading of her rebuttal to be an ex-employee responding. I have known a Susan of Kingston, Massachusetts who was an instrument keeper who attended the 2003 GWP summer conference and posted on the GWPDiscussion Board and the Yahoo Gentle Wind Project conference board and spoke of being involved with GWP for 6 or 7 years and spending $15,000 to $20,000.

She became dissatisfied with GWP after reading the stories on the Internet published by two of the lawsuit defendants in March of 2004 and suddenly changed her mind about GWP after publicly making many positive statements about how much she and her family had been helped by the GWP technology. I cannot be certain that this is the same Susan but it sounds like it.

Although she is entitled to her own opinions, why does she believe that she is entitled to invalidate other people's experiences and dismiss them as gullibility and an inability to evaluate anything? One of Susan's major concerns in her postings on the chat groups after reading the defendants' Internet material was having her money returned to her. She had also in prior postings made it clear that she was spending beyond her means when she knew that she shouldn't. I have an extremely difficult time granting her any credibility as I have read her very positive postings up until she read the Internet reports and then she flipped into her complaints about getting her money back. I would suggest that she herself go back and read all of the statements that she has written in regards to the GWP.

Susan in her own words was benefiting from this technology until she read the defendants' materials and then her primary concern seemed to be getting a refund. It sounds like Susan has a problem managing her personal finances. If she irresponsibly got herself into financial difficulties that doesn't necessarily mean she is entitled to a refund. Why should Gentle Wind be made to pay for any overspending she might be prone to do?

If I had read negative stories about Sears, Filenes or Stop & Shop, I hope that I would have the good sense to look for hard evidence and not take words written on the Internet as proof of anything. Dr. David Hawkins, a renowned psychiatrist, writer and researcher, who co-authored the book Orthomolecular Psychiatry with Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, has said that 50% of everything that appears on the Internet is false. But even if I found the stories to be true, I would not expect that clothing stores or the supermarket to return my money, especially after I wore the clothes, ate the food and told people how much I liked the products.

I do not think that Susan of Kingston understands the lawsuit. I would like to ask her the same question that she has asked of GWP supporters: Have you given over your natural ability to evaluate things? Have you put the blinders on instead of looking for the truth? You might be asking why only two of the seven counts were dismissed and why there are still five counts left that are very serious charges. Some of these charges are for defamation, tortious interference with advantageous relationships, and false light invasion of privacy.

You might be asking why three of the defendants have already settled and taken the controversial material off of their websites and a fourth has defaulted.

Gamble and Fraser recently settled with Gentle Wind and are posting a public apology on the front page of their websites:

We have removed links to the websites of The Gentle Wind Project and that of certain persons formally associated with The Gentle Wind Project. There have been controversial charges and denials made by the publishers of these websites and these are currently the subject of litigation pending in the United States District Court. Equilibra (former defendant Gamble's website) does not have independent, first hand knowledge of the veracity of these charges and denials, and for that reason has determined not to re-publish them. Equilibra regrets any unwarranted injury that may have been caused as a result of the prior publication.

This same apology is also on Ivan Fraser's website, The Truth Campaign. I don't think these defendants dropped out because they had a good case. They even state they could not verify the material they had published. Some people might be putting the blinders on and ignoring these words but the fact is they have been posted on the defendants' websites and they have meaning. I suggest you take a look at them and think about their meaning.

As a former Instrument Keeper for Gentle Wind Project, I feel that I have had enough personal experience using their healing instruments to be able to make comments and state my opinion. My own personal opinion is that they do not work. Do I feel like I've been treated in a fair and professional way by the Gentle Wind Project? Absolutely not. I know first hand how deceptive and underhanded they can be. But even if that was not the case you might want to ask yourself this question: Why is it, that if these "healing instruments" are so wonderful and have such a huge positive impact on people's lives that they themselves cannot see it. From my own experieince, the vast majority of people who I have had use the "healing Instruments" (Which numbers close to 200 people) felt no difference and wanted nothing more to do with the "healing Instruments". How can this possibly be? Wouldn't you think that people would be lining up to use them? Somehow this reminds me of the fairy tale "The Emperor wore no clothes" Unfortunately the "Instrument Keepers" must keep up these belief systems, otherwise they'll be forced to really look at what's going on in their lives.

Pat from Arizona is on to something. I've witnessed many times how the more people deny something, the more they're trying to cover something up. When it comes down to it, I'd almost rather be considered a "cult" than the "underbelly of humanity" that GW writes about on their website.

The GW accountant, or someone with common sense, should advise them that it isn't a useful investment of charitable donations to spend a lot of money on lawyers to deny being a cult, and all the other accusations, especially if it isn't true.

Dale Carnegie had it figured: "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it."

Susan,

I, Patrick (of the male gender), have seen too many organizations (i.e. cults), using the same MO as GWP. Brainwash people into believing something is true, back it up with tons of nonsense "research", and ask for money in return.

This also holds true with most religions. I have a vested interest in the Mormon religion, and have read numerous reports on the internet about how LDS is a cult, and that Joseph Smith made it all up, just to collect tithing. Go to the LDS website, you do not see any "cult disclaimers".

Look at all the Rip-Off reports here on this website alone. How many of these companies have "rip-off disclaimers" on their websites?

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

These are my opinions. I have never used a GWP healing instrument, and probably never will, even if offered at no expense to me. My OPINION is that most people receive "healing" by way of the placebo effect.

And I still say that the disclaimers on the GWP website are the MOST RIDICULOUS things I have ever read on an organizations home page.

I am responding to the 10-26-04 posting of Pat of Gilbert, AZ. Pat has pointed out that the Gentle Wind Project (GWP) website states repeatedly that they are not a cult and that they are not out to take over communities, etc. Pat seems to think that this is a ridiculous statement. Where is the great mystery here? It seems obvious that if you are an organization that is not a cult and you are being accused publicly, very publicly, of being a cult, that you would be forced to state publicly that your organization is not a cult. These repeated references to not being a cult were not present on the GWP website until the Internet attacks began. What is so unusual or suspect about defending oneself against untrue accusations? The people who speak out against the GWP want to accuse them of being a cult, and then when GWP says that it isn't true, the accusers say Aha! See? They are defending themselves! They must have something to hide!

I can guarantee that if GWP did not respond to the accusations, the accusers would say, Aha! See? They are not responding! They must have something to hide! Apparently, the GWP can't win this argument as it has already been decided in the accusers' heads. So, Pat, the GWP would not have to make these so-called ridiculous statements if the lawsuit defendants and their group of supporters, some of whom have not even used a GWP healing instrument, were not making false statements about GWP.

This leads me to question what Pat's interest is in the GWP and why she states in her posting of 8-24-04 that after reading the posts here, and investigating the GWP site for myself, I have to agree that this is a cult-like organization, whose sole purpose is to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. I will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise. Apparently Pat neglected to read the numerous reports on this webpage from people who had used the GWP healing tools and who described the positive changes they had personally experienced. And apparently no matter what evidence is presented in these positive postings, Pat will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise. So basically Pat's mind is made up.

I'm wondering why Pat would be continuing to follow this discussion if she has already decided that the GWP is what she states above. What is Pat's purpose in jumping on the anti-GWP bandwagon? Has Pat ever used a GWP healing instrument? Has Pat contacted the GWP to ask about the accusations made on the Internet? If Pat has visited their website then maybe she noticed that they give instructions on how to contact them by e-mail, regular mail, and telephone.

Personally, I would be hesitant to make a negative statement in a public forum about an organization that I had not thoroughly investigated. This includes using their products and judging for myself whether or not these products are effective. I would distrust the comments of anyone who doesn't do the same.

Thank you for posting my comments.

Hello all,

I have been following the heated exchanges between Carl and the GWP IK's with somewhat ammused interest. But Susan's last post has required that I respond and again point out something of significance from the GWP web site.

"At the bottom of the front page, it gets really interesting. No less than 3 times they state they are not a cult. They also state, and I find this extremely funny, that they are not out to take over a community, state, country, or the world. THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST RIDICULOUS STATEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A WEBSITE. I mean, how many Non-Profit organizations have such a disclaimer?"

Any organization, company, individual, etc. that has to resort to such disclaimers is a sure indication that there is something to hid. I mean, really now. How many organizations do you know that have to state repeatedly that they are not a cult, or out to take over the world.

Let's get some common sense here folks.

I am writing in response to Carl's posting of 10-23-04. It is not my goal to trade insults here. I am simply trying to get to the bottom of this matter. I respect the fact that he has a law degree, which is not a small achievement. It just seems that much of what he has posted has been unsubstantiated claims that have not been thoroughly researched. It appears that he is influenced by a small group on the Internet who have made it their business to work full time at verbally tearing down the Gentle Wind Project (GWP). It seems that he is unable to take into account the postings on this page that describe the incredibly positive results some of us have had as a result of using these healing instruments. It is not a foregone conclusion that everyone who posts a positive experience is necessarily even an owner of a Gentle Wind healing instrument. There are literally millions of people in all parts of the world who have used these instruments for free. What of the number of instruments that have been donated by the GWP to disaster ravaged parts of the world?

It's time for a reality check here. This is not some childish little computer game with each side trying to shoot the other down by manipulating a joystick with nothing more at stake than a computer scorecard. We are talking about the real world where millions of people are suffering dreadfully in horrific situations where loved ones are dying before their eyes in brutal fashion, where children are orphaned in unspeakable incidents of violence, where political brutality is rampant, where soldiers are required to face day after day of hellish combat, where people are starving, jobless, homeless and victims of natural disasters. The Gentle Wind Project has undertaken the task of trying to alleviate this pain and suffering by giving healing instruments free of charge to people in hospitals and orphanages and refuge camps in Iran, orphanages in Thailand, community health centers in the region bombed by terrorists in Bali, suffering people in Kosovo and Albania, soldiers in Iraq, combat veterans around the world, hurricane victims in Florida, community helpers in Poland and many other needy people. No one is asked for anything in return and literally thousands who use these healing instruments never have any other contact with GWP beyond using the donated instruments. Carl should take the time to read the information on the website that talks about GWP instruments given for free in the region of Bam, Iran and their positive effect on the suffering people in that earthquake devastated country. The website address is www.gentlewindiran.com . This website is not commercial in any way. It is strictly information about this devastated area and the help that has been brought to them. I think he would be very surprised at what he will find there. Reports that clearly tell of the good these instruments are bringing to suffering people. Should a few people with a personal grudge be allowed to bring this incredible humanitarian help to an end by their unsubstantiated Internet attacks?

The bottom line here is that no matter how much the Internet detractors would like to portray the GWP as a scam organization, the fact remains that obtaining the healings is and will always be free of charge. Why does the GWP ask for donations? How many organizations exist in the world that do not require revenue to function? What is also not brought up on the Internet is that the GWP did not even begin asking for donations until they absolutely had to, which was more that 10 years after the project began.

Regarding Carl's comments about the attorneys for a large San Diego law firm sharing his opinion on the instruments, I'm wondering how this opinion was formed. When did these attorneys use a GWP instrument? What changes did they observe as a result? Did these attorneys attempt to contact the GWP or visit the GWP website for information? Which leads me also to ask about Carl's attempt to investigate the GWP research materials: How did he contact them? Did he clearly identify his reasons for wanting to see evidence that real, scientifically conducted, documented research exists? I'm aware that at one time the SIA website listed the names of two MD's who are proponents of the GWP technology. When contacted, these MD's gave statements describing positive outcomes as a result of using the GWP instruments with their patients. Carl stated that the GWP won't identify the independent research on their website. It is true that, of late, the GWP has been more protective of its supporters, but this is due to the fact that some of these people have received negative attention as a result of their publicly supporting the work of GWP.

The bottom line is: What evidence does Carl really have about the GWP? Has he tried to contact any of the people whose names are still listed on the GWP website? I am also wondering if Carl isn't the one who's been duped in all this. Has he read the GWP lawsuit document? Did he see that one of the defendants volunteered for GWP and was asked to leave when it didn't work out? Did he ever consider that this person may possibly harbor a personal grudge toward GWP, almost like when you read about a disgruntled employee of a company? I don't know the details of all this but I think it should be a red flag to anyone who is trying to be objective.

I am sincerely interested in Carl's answers to some of these questions as I try to sort this whole thing out for myself. It's hard to understand why he and others seem so unable to accept that the GWP healing instruments have helped some people.

Thank you for posting my comment.

I would just like to comment that the Federal charges in the lawsuit filed by the Gentle Wind Project against some of the people who had the nerve to say anything negative against them have been recommended for dismissal by the Magistrate Judge. So what does this tell you? It should be telling you that the Gentle Wind Project is living in a fantasy world and that their ridiculous lawsuit won't stand up in court. You should be asking why that would be. However I'm sure that the diehard Instrument Keepers will, as usual, put the blinders on instead of looking for the truth.

Your beautiful healing instruments that you had to have, and paid a small fortune for, are worthless and don't work. So what's up with this? Have you given over your natural ability to evaluate things? Consider moving away from the huge life-interruption of things like believing in the Gentle Wind Project. But it is a free country so if you want to keep on paying your money and believing in a one-ticket answer to everything then feel free.

However, don't forget that the Gentle Wind Project doesn't believe in freedom, at least freedom of speech. Keep supporting the Gentle Wind Project so that they can take your hard-earned money and live the good life. I was an Instrument Keeper for 7 years, but I got out. I made the decision to not be gullible any more and I'm really glad I did. The evidence against the Gentle Wind Project is huge and anyone who hasn't been taken in by them can see the writing on the wall.

Unfortunately, I didn't figure all of this out until after I had dished out about $20,000.00. It was a very painful and expensive lesson to learn. By the way I sent back my healing instruments to the Gentle Wind Project.

Maybe if you call them up they'll give you a nice discount for my used healing instruments. Of course, they didn't refund me any money, even though they were stating at one point on their website, and in their seminars, that they do give people who aren't happy with their healing instruments their money back.
Susan,
Kingston, MA

I would just like to comment that the Federal charges in the lawsuit filed by the Gentle Wind Project against some of the people who had the nerve to say anything negative against them have been recommended for dismissal by the Magistrate Judge. So what does this tell you? It should be telling you that the Gentle Wind Project is living in a fantasy world and that their ridiculous lawsuit won't stand up in court. You should be asking why that would be. However I'm sure that the diehard Instrument Keepers will, as usual, put the blinders on instead of looking for the truth.

Your beautiful healing instruments that you had to have, and paid a small fortune for, are worthless and don't work. So what's up with this? Have you given over your natural ability to evaluate things? Consider moving away from the huge life-interruption of things like believing in the Gentle Wind Project. But it is a free country so if you want to keep on paying your money and believing in a one-ticket answer to everything then feel free.

However, don't forget that the Gentle Wind Project doesn't believe in freedom, at least freedom of speech. Keep supporting the Gentle Wind Project so that they can take your hard-earned money and live the good life. I was an Instrument Keeper for 7 years, but I got out. I made the decision to not be gullible any more and I'm really glad I did. The evidence against the Gentle Wind Project is huge and anyone who hasn't been taken in by them can see the writing on the wall.

Unfortunately, I didn't figure all of this out until after I had dished out about $20,000.00. It was a very painful and expensive lesson to learn. By the way I sent back my healing instruments to the Gentle Wind Project.

Maybe if you call them up they'll give you a nice discount for my used healing instruments. Of course, they didn't refund me any money, even though they were stating at one point on their website, and in their seminars, that they do give people who aren't happy with their healing instruments their money back.
Susan,
Kingston, MA

I would just like to comment that the Federal charges in the lawsuit filed by the Gentle Wind Project against some of the people who had the nerve to say anything negative against them have been recommended for dismissal by the Magistrate Judge. So what does this tell you? It should be telling you that the Gentle Wind Project is living in a fantasy world and that their ridiculous lawsuit won't stand up in court. You should be asking why that would be. However I'm sure that the diehard Instrument Keepers will, as usual, put the blinders on instead of looking for the truth.

Your beautiful healing instruments that you had to have, and paid a small fortune for, are worthless and don't work. So what's up with this? Have you given over your natural ability to evaluate things? Consider moving away from the huge life-interruption of things like believing in the Gentle Wind Project. But it is a free country so if you want to keep on paying your money and believing in a one-ticket answer to everything then feel free.

However, don't forget that the Gentle Wind Project doesn't believe in freedom, at least freedom of speech. Keep supporting the Gentle Wind Project so that they can take your hard-earned money and live the good life. I was an Instrument Keeper for 7 years, but I got out. I made the decision to not be gullible any more and I'm really glad I did. The evidence against the Gentle Wind Project is huge and anyone who hasn't been taken in by them can see the writing on the wall.

Unfortunately, I didn't figure all of this out until after I had dished out about $20,000.00. It was a very painful and expensive lesson to learn. By the way I sent back my healing instruments to the Gentle Wind Project.

Maybe if you call them up they'll give you a nice discount for my used healing instruments. Of course, they didn't refund me any money, even though they were stating at one point on their website, and in their seminars, that they do give people who aren't happy with their healing instruments their money back.
Susan,
Kingston, MA

I would just like to comment that the Federal charges in the lawsuit filed by the Gentle Wind Project against some of the people who had the nerve to say anything negative against them have been recommended for dismissal by the Magistrate Judge. So what does this tell you? It should be telling you that the Gentle Wind Project is living in a fantasy world and that their ridiculous lawsuit won't stand up in court. You should be asking why that would be. However I'm sure that the diehard Instrument Keepers will, as usual, put the blinders on instead of looking for the truth.

Your beautiful healing instruments that you had to have, and paid a small fortune for, are worthless and don't work. So what's up with this? Have you given over your natural ability to evaluate things? Consider moving away from the huge life-interruption of things like believing in the Gentle Wind Project. But it is a free country so if you want to keep on paying your money and believing in a one-ticket answer to everything then feel free.

However, don't forget that the Gentle Wind Project doesn't believe in freedom, at least freedom of speech. Keep supporting the Gentle Wind Project so that they can take your hard-earned money and live the good life. I was an Instrument Keeper for 7 years, but I got out. I made the decision to not be gullible any more and I'm really glad I did. The evidence against the Gentle Wind Project is huge and anyone who hasn't been taken in by them can see the writing on the wall.

Unfortunately, I didn't figure all of this out until after I had dished out about $20,000.00. It was a very painful and expensive lesson to learn. By the way I sent back my healing instruments to the Gentle Wind Project.

Maybe if you call them up they'll give you a nice discount for my used healing instruments. Of course, they didn't refund me any money, even though they were stating at one point on their website, and in their seminars, that they do give people who aren't happy with their healing instruments their money back.
Susan,
Kingston, MA

First of all, if there's anyone here who's insulting(not that I care...)that one might be you, Carl. If you read my postings well, there is no trace of insults, just a good dose of irony. But there's probably to much anger on your side to even notice that. Or, maybe, you can't tell the difference between irony and insult. Or, even, you consider voicing an opinon different that yours, an insult.

But now let's see your postings:
In reply to Maureen from Easthampton, you go: "Don't believe this person..."
Shall we call this an insult, or what? On what basis you think you have the right and authority to invalidate an individual's personal experience? Maybe on the grounds of unbelievable notions of "instruments made of sand", "beamed from the spirit world"? I am sorry, but we are not talking about the organization here. We're talking about indivuduals who are sharing their experience of a product. The product itself might even come from the moon. But their experience should be respected. Investigating the organization that provides the product is one thing, invalidating a consumer experience is another. But you seem unable to see the difference. Too subtle? Than maybe you should get a third degree.

Again, in reply to Sarah from Ojai you go:
"As for Sarah, her so called education means nothing". Her education means nothing and is not enough for what? For being able to discern what is good for her than what is bad? I call this an insult. But not for Carl. He is "right".

In response to Donna from Fort Washington, Carl writes: "Nonsensical Gibberish."
Well, I could say that what you've said in all your postings up to now is nonsensical gibberish. Am I insulting you? Had I said that, I would have probably triggered another one of your nasty replies.

In response to Paolo from Italy, Carl writes: "They claim on their web site that the "healing instruments" do not cause physical healing yet the instrument keepers DO claim physical healings occur. Evening (sic!) people who have posted rebuttals here have made claims of physical healings. Their public face is different than their private face."
The people who are posting here are not making claims, they are sharing their experience.
Again, it seems to me you're creating confusion between the notion of claims made by an organization, and individuals sharing their experiences. Just to let you know (or remind you), these are very different things. I won't explain you why because you have already two degrees.

In replying to the same posting, Carl goes on: "If you speak out against the fraud, they sue you." Not exactly. People have been speaking out against the GWP ever since they started doing what they do. It has always been on the Net. We are supposedly living in a free world, that is healthy and allowes people to make up their mind. But what happened in the last year was so concerted, vicious and slanderous that you only needed an objective search on the Net to notice. There was no forum, no discussion, no posting in favour of the GWP that wouldn't soon be followed by a warning, and always by the same people. I mean, finding all mentions of the GWP on the net and promptly replying with something bad takes time and will. Don't these people work, or go to the movies, or read a good book, or have sex? There was a clear, concerted effort to harm that organization. Any unbiased person not inclined to jump on the hate wagon could see that.

Again, in replying to me, Carl goes: "Your entire argument seems to be 'I think it worked for me and other scams are worse'."
I mentioned acupuncture and psychoanalisis not because I consider them scams. As for Acupuncture, I mentioned it because it is a system of healing based on a theory not provable with our current scientific means. Yet, it works, and it is used. As I already said, it is estimated it works on about 30% of the people. For me that is a great percentage, and the fact that those for whom it didn't work are obviously disappointed doesn't make it a fraud.
Psychoanalisis I mentioned because it is very expensive, much, much more than any healing instrument; it was created to relieve emotional suffering, but works in less than 50% of the people and usually after few years of therapy; and finally, because what it claims it does is not scientifically provable. As it deals with emotions and moods, its successes can only be measured based on anecdotal and individual accounts. At the end of the game, dear Carl, what matters is the subjective perception of wellbeing. There are no machines to measure that, except one's claims.

And, finally, still replying to me, Carl writes: "That spekas volumes about your judgment, regardles if (sic!) how many "advanced degrees" you might have."

Again, Carl is very sensitive to insults, but seems himself unable to stay within the limits of good taste. Telling someone they have no judgement because they have a different opinion seems like a judgement to me. But some people seem to be too righteous to notice that.

And finally, as for my "advanced degree": Why shouldn't I be proud of it when it provides me the means to squander money on healing instruments? Wouldn't you say?

Regards

I've noticed an uncomprimising loyalty to the Gentle Wind Project by instrument keepers in their writings. Not objectivity. That is disconserting to me. We all live on this planet, and I would be more comforted to be surrounded by independent, objective thinkers. Whatever the topic. I take a step back when I hear childish loyalty excusing bad behavior. And, when I hear that people don't care about how something works, only that it "does work". That makes me think of drugs, addiction and the pursuit of a high. I do not hear a strong recommendation for the actual instrument as a healing modality. All these instrument keepers are very vague when they actually describe what benefit they've acquired from using a GWP instrument. If these instruments were so effective at improving "emontional health", why is it that no one's writings convey maturity or actually describe their emontional healing process for the rest of us to learn from? I think that is because they can't. And, they can't because there hasn't been an emontional healing. There has been a high. I'm so sorry for these people who believe using a gentle wind instrument has given them a healing. They are wasting their time. I was an instrument keeper myself, and I have no regrets putting these instruments away, but I do wish now to have those funds for legitmate healing modalities. Whatever the reason instrument keepers have to seek a healing from Gentle Wind, that is what they need to focus on now and move forward. Remove that haze the Gentle Wind instruments impose on you and you will find clarity in your life.

Regarding physical healings: Yes, the GWP website contains disclaimers against physical healings. However, materials that give out at their seminars and provide to their "instrument keepers" DO make claims of physical healings. Evening people who have posted rebuttals here have made claims of physical healings. Their public face is different than their private face.

Regarding the SPCA in San Diego: GWP was making claims about an endorsement. The claim was false and the claim was still on their web site. The claims were not authorized by the San Diego SPCA and GWP simply changed the SPCA web site so that the San Diego SPCA couldn't take legal action. And by the way, the attorneys for a large San Diego law firm didn't seem to think it was a frivolous lawsuit and had the same opinion I did on the healing instruments. GWP was and and is making unsubstantied claims how the SPCA has endorsed healing instruments and found them to be effective on animals.

Regarding research materials: I have requested the materials and nobody seems to want to provide them to me. The won't even identify the "indepedent research" on their web site, otherwise I could get it myself.

As for the last comment, if you would rather trade insults and ignore the facts and objective evidence agains this fradulent organization, then feel free. That spekas volumes about your judgment, regardles if how many "advanced degrees" you might have.

Thanks, Carl, for shedding light on this horrible matter. You just explained to me, and to all the other people here who happened to have a different opinion than yours, that our judgement, and our capacity of evaluating personal experience, is not to be trusted no matter what. I had been waiting a long time for such wisdom into my life. Then you arrived. Now everything is clear. Just one suggestion, though. I have this beautiful GWP symbol on my wall here, and usually my guests comment on what a great piece of modern art it is. You might consider investing a few hundreds on one of those. Who knows, you might find yourself in a few years with a valuble piece of pop art and might cash in a few bucks.
Now, please excuse me, I have to fly to the US so I can buy a very, very, very expensive healing puck.
Regards

I have just read Carl's posting of October 21. I'm not a lawyer, so he knows a lot more than I do about fraud. I am a medical professional who owns a Gentle Wind Project (GWP) healing instrument and I use it with my patients. The GWP provides literature to those who own instruments and also to people who use a healing instrument, and I have noticed that they have been very careful not to make claims regarding physical healings. They have disclaimers everywhere, including their website, so I don't think Carl's concerns about claims regarding physical healings and fraud are well founded. I have heard people who have used the GWP healing instruments describe relief from physical pain but none of that is under the GWP's control. The GWP's healing technology was designed to alleviate emotional suffering, and that is the claim they are making. Personally, I'm happy if the healing instruments also seem to be helping some people physically. What's wrong with that?

Regarding Carl's comments about the SPCA of Southern California, the real reason why the GWP instruments were banned was because he threatened them with a frivolous lawsuit, not because the technology doesn't work on animals. There are animal rescue organizations in the USA and Canada who use the instruments routinely with animals with good results. I have heard speakers at conferences discuss this, and I myself have used the instruments on animals, particularly with those that have been abused. All the reports that I've heard have described positive outcomes. Once again, what's wrong with that?

As for the GWP's research, they have an enormous body of documentation and I have seen their research materials myself. Carl should call them and see if they would let him do the same thing, although circumstances are different for him since he is representing the lawsuit defendants. He should still at least try, so he can see for himself, and then, at least he will be speaking from firsthand experience. I know for a fact that many of the allegations made against the GWP are false. I don't think that they were given any choice but to sue. I am certain that Carl would be the first to sue if someone defamed him and made similar claims about him. All in all, I do not see fraud anywhere.

Thank you for posting my comment.

First of all, your "advanced degree" means nothing to me and has no effect on the credibility of your arguments. I have two degrees, so what? Your entire argument seems to be "I think it worked for me and other scams are worse".

The fuss about the fraud and lies about the Gentle Wind Project. They claim on their web site that the "healing instruments" do not cause physical healing yet their printed literature and the instrument keepers DO claim physical healings occur. They charges outrageous sums of money devices made of laminated paper, cheap plastic parts and sand. They make outrageous and unverifiable claims about technology beamed to them telepathically from the spirit world.

One claim on the their web site is that the SPCA of Southern California has "verified" the effectiveness of healing instruments on animals. Although an instrument keeper used to teach a class on using healing instruments at the San Diego Humane Society/SPCA, the banned healing instruments from their facilities after the true nature of the Gentle Wind Project was made known to them and the false claims made on GWP's web site.

They spend hundres of thousands of dollars of their "donations" on "research". None of this research can be verified and none of their "studies" can be verified. Testimonials from paid board members are used on the web site.

If you speak out against the fraud, they sue you. This lashing by the members and the abusive lawsuit have all the indications of a cult-like organization. So it's about fraud and lies...THAT's what the fuss is all about.

First of all, your "advanced degree" means nothing to me and has no effect on the credibility of your arguments. I have two degrees, so what? Your entire argument seems to be "I think it worked for me and other scams are worse".

The fuss about the fraud and lies about the Gentle Wind Project. They claim on their web site that the "healing instruments" do not cause physical healing yet their printed literature and the instrument keepers DO claim physical healings occur. They charges outrageous sums of money devices made of laminated paper, cheap plastic parts and sand. They make outrageous and unverifiable claims about technology beamed to them telepathically from the spirit world.

One claim on the their web site is that the SPCA of Southern California has "verified" the effectiveness of healing instruments on animals. Although an instrument keeper used to teach a class on using healing instruments at the San Diego Humane Society/SPCA, the banned healing instruments from their facilities after the true nature of the Gentle Wind Project was made known to them and the false claims made on GWP's web site.

They spend hundres of thousands of dollars of their "donations" on "research". None of this research can be verified and none of their "studies" can be verified. Testimonials from paid board members are used on the web site.

If you speak out against the fraud, they sue you. This lashing by the members and the abusive lawsuit have all the indications of a cult-like organization. So it's about fraud and lies...THAT's what the fuss is all about.

First of all, your "advanced degree" means nothing to me and has no effect on the credibility of your arguments. I have two degrees, so what? Your entire argument seems to be "I think it worked for me and other scams are worse".

The fuss about the fraud and lies about the Gentle Wind Project. They claim on their web site that the "healing instruments" do not cause physical healing yet their printed literature and the instrument keepers DO claim physical healings occur. They charges outrageous sums of money devices made of laminated paper, cheap plastic parts and sand. They make outrageous and unverifiable claims about technology beamed to them telepathically from the spirit world.

One claim on the their web site is that the SPCA of Southern California has "verified" the effectiveness of healing instruments on animals. Although an instrument keeper used to teach a class on using healing instruments at the San Diego Humane Society/SPCA, the banned healing instruments from their facilities after the true nature of the Gentle Wind Project was made known to them and the false claims made on GWP's web site.

They spend hundres of thousands of dollars of their "donations" on "research". None of this research can be verified and none of their "studies" can be verified. Testimonials from paid board members are used on the web site.

If you speak out against the fraud, they sue you. This lashing by the members and the abusive lawsuit have all the indications of a cult-like organization. So it's about fraud and lies...THAT's what the fuss is all about.

First of all, your "advanced degree" means nothing to me and has no effect on the credibility of your arguments. I have two degrees, so what? Your entire argument seems to be "I think it worked for me and other scams are worse".

The fuss about the fraud and lies about the Gentle Wind Project. They claim on their web site that the "healing instruments" do not cause physical healing yet their printed literature and the instrument keepers DO claim physical healings occur. They charges outrageous sums of money devices made of laminated paper, cheap plastic parts and sand. They make outrageous and unverifiable claims about technology beamed to them telepathically from the spirit world.

One claim on the their web site is that the SPCA of Southern California has "verified" the effectiveness of healing instruments on animals. Although an instrument keeper used to teach a class on using healing instruments at the San Diego Humane Society/SPCA, the banned healing instruments from their facilities after the true nature of the Gentle Wind Project was made known to them and the false claims made on GWP's web site.

They spend hundres of thousands of dollars of their "donations" on "research". None of this research can be verified and none of their "studies" can be verified. Testimonials from paid board members are used on the web site.

If you speak out against the fraud, they sue you. This lashing by the members and the abusive lawsuit have all the indications of a cult-like organization. So it's about fraud and lies...THAT's what the fuss is all about.

I am a professional with an advanced degree. I find all this fuss about the GWP unbelievable. I tried an instrument about a year ago and I found it effective. I don't really care about where the information to build them comes from. What I know, is that after years and thousands spent on psychoanalis, I found something that helped me to regain an emotional balance. Obiously, this doesn't work for everybody. We are all different, and when something doesn't work, we should move on and try something else. As you probably know, often psychotherapy doesn't work. Well, it wouldn't cross my mind to slander and try to damage the psychoanalists who I have seen for years just because it didn't work for me. But I assure you that in the meantime, I probably helped them to get a new swimming pool and a new BMW. Bless them. Another thing, most of the people who use this instruments expect them to erase like magic all their problems. What a laugh. As they don't get that, then they get angry. In my experience, what you can expect by using them is a release from internal pressure, and a more relaxed and accepting outlook on your bad and good sides. Folks, this is all I ask. I can take care of my problems by myself, no saviour needed. And, life without problems to be solved, it would be just boring. As for the people at GWP, some of them are really sweet, some of them are very passionate about what they do, and they react like fighters. This is how they are. So what. It seems some people expect them to be like some catholic saints, completely removed from their humanness. Again, all this fuss baffles me. I don't see why not make a crusade against psychoanalisis (there is still debate in the academic field on wheter to consider it a "Science", or not), or acupuncture (please prove me "scientifically" the exsistence of the meridians, yet acupuncture is used in hospitals. It works on about 30% of the people, but nobody makes a fuss about it). Now let's talk about money. GWP people have villas, great holidays, cool cars and stuff? Good for them. I don't see why anyone should make a vote of poverty. And I think a great quality of life is something anybody should have the right for. Nobody forced me to give them my money, as nobody forced me to give thousands in psychoanalisys. As for their "not for profit" status, I admit my ignorance in the matter. But, frankly, I don't care. I have other things which I deem more important in my life.
Thanks

In Yahoo! groups, there is a group dedicated to victims of the Gentle Wind Project. There a report published by a former "instrument keeper" that decided to take apartment a "healing puck" to see what was inside. According to the GWP web site, the "healing puck" helps cure "emotional imbalances" and is available for a "donation" of $1250.

When the "device" was taken apart, they reported finding what can best be described as scented sand.

There is a website to conduct research on nonprofit organizations: www.guidestar.com.

GWP is listed on this web site and has voluntarily posted information regarding the organization, including several years of tax returns as recently as 2002. It makes for an interesting read.

Among the more interesting entries: $66,979 for "Research - boat", $89,109 for "Research - electronics" and $66,365 for "Research - shop". I guess all the telepathic impressions that get from the spirit world aren't good enough and have to be supplemented by "research".

According to a Gentle Wind spokesperson, each human lives inside an energy field 8 to 10 feet high, 4 to 6 feet wide, which sometimes gets damaged and must be repaired. Its healing instruments are just the tools to do that, bringing good health, based on 20 years of research. For example, its Puck Puck (which resembles several tuning forks) is said to bring relief from high blood pressure, arthritis, migraines, ulcers and chronic fatigue to those who merely hold them, and it has even been known to help people forgive. On the other hand, wrote the spokesperson, We're not New Age wackos.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is an abusive lawsuit that the Gentle Wind Project has filed against several of it's most vocal critics. On a less serene note, the organization recently filed a lawsuit claiming that a husband and wife from Blue Hill, Me., Judy Garvey and James F. Bergin, and various other individuals defamed Gentle Wind by publishing a website criticizing the organization's leadership and cautioning newcomers against excessive involvement. Garvey and Bergin were themselves formerly involved with Gentle Wind. It is not uncommon for a cult to sue former members when the former members speak out against the group.

Last week, a federal magistrate recommended partial dismissal of GWP's lawsuit. This is one of the most ridiculous and abusive lawsuits I have seen in more than 10 years of practice as an attorney.

Ok gang, here with go with a long update, responding to 3 recent comments.

First, a general observation. The people who are responding appear to be part of a core group that have been "Instrument Keepers" for 20-25 years. Nobody will respond to any of my questions. Just an interesting observation.

In response to the person who claims to be a nurse:

Assuming that your claim to be a nurse is true, what does yor employer think of you using these devices? What about the nursing board? Do they approve of this? Does the nursing board approve of someone who uses devices that supposedy the patient's "energy field"? Do your patients that that GWP claims that these devices are based on technology from the spirit world? What would the nursing board think of all this? If you truly have a masters in counseling psychology, are you licenses to practice in this area? It seems to me that you are either practices medicine or psychology without a license. By the way, where can we verify this so called research? Where has it been published? Where can it be scrutinized by the scientific community? Where is the evidence to support your claims?

In response to the next poster:

These are not unfounded generalizations. These are accusations made by a number of former members of GWP, some of whom have been named as defendants in an abusive lawsuit filed by Gentle Wind. Do a google search for "gentle wind project lawsuit" and you will see a number of web sites that have very detailed information about the ridiculous claims made by Gentle Wind and the healing instruments. There are no scientific studies to back of any claims relating to these so called healing instruments. I am not personally a victime of the Gentle Wind Project, but I know many that are. Being an advocate for victims based on the evidence does not diminish the fact that my research has shown a number of legal and financial improprietes with Gentle Wind. I don't need to be a victim of Gentle Wind to point out their claims regarding the healing instruments, how they work or where the "technology" comes from. We put out this information so that members of the public will not be mislead and donate $$$$ to this fraudulent organization.

Finally, in response to Cecelia from Hawaii:

What would you say about an instrument keeper who forces his daughter to hold healing instruments against the will of his ex-wife? I know of a woman who was recently forced to send her daughter to visit her father for a court-ordered visit over the summer.

The ex-wife/mother doesn't want her daughter involved in any way with the Gentle Wind Project, yet the ex-husband/father apparently won't respect the wishes of his ex-wife who is the custodial parent. So, Gentle Wind is a group that sues people who speak out against it. Do they also support instrument keepers who force the devices on children against the will of their parents?

I will start this rebuttal by inserting an excerpt from the front page of the Gentle Wind website:

"Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available.

Welcome...

". . .I think this Trauma Card might save my sanity out here in Iraq. Thank you Gentle Wind Project!"
A U.S. Army Combat Soldier currently stationed in Iraq.

What You Will Find

Welcome to The Gentle Wind Project web site. The Gentle Wind Project is a Not-for-Profit Education and Research Corporation located in Kittery, Maine, USA and registered with both the state and federal governments since 1983. All non-profits MUST raise money just like profit corporations or we could not exist. All non-profits must prosper and their employees must be paid competitive salaries to maintain their viability. Our financial accounts are public record. Click here: ACCOUNTING.

To date the majority of our funds have been spent on research, a process of studying the human consciousness and developing healing technologies to alleviate human suffering. The Gentle Wind Project has gathered 15 large volumes of research material spanning twenty-one years that were available at the Summer Conference 2004 for all participants to view.

The healing technology comes in the form of healing instruments. The healing available through these instruments has always been and will remain free of charge. The Project has over 6500 volunteers world-wide who offer the use of their instruments free of charge. This means that no one has ever had to pay anything, join anything, believe anything, give allegiance to anything or sacrifice anything in order to obtain free help."

OK, now let's see, the very first thing you read is "Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available". Is GWP now claiming that they can deprogram you if you belong to a cult? Does this also apply to the cult of GWP?

Then there is the quote from a soldier in Iraq. Notice that no name is given so that the quote can be verified.

Then GWP goes on to talk about how they are Non-Profit, and must raise money just like everyone else. They even provide a link to their Accounting Dept. Why all the talk about their financial processes? Are they trying to say they have nothing to hide? Why?

Next, they talk about the volumes (15) of information they have based on their research. Why is it only available to those who attend one of their "seminars"? If this information is so beneficial to mankind, and they are a Non-Profit organization whose sole purpose is to help humanity, why not share the information?

And finally, they talk about how the instruments are available to anyone free of charge, and that you don't have to believe in anything, or join anything, or pay anything. Again, are the trying to dispell myths about their organization being a cult?

At the bottom of the front page, it gets really interesting. No less than 3 times they state they are not a cult. They also state, and I find this extremely funny, that they are not out to take over a community, state, country, or the world. THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST RIDICULOUS STATEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A WEBSITE. I mean, how many Non-Profit organizations have such a disclaimer?

After reading the posts here, and investigating the GWP site for myself, I have to agree that this is a cult-like organization, whose sole purpose is to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. I will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise.

My 2 cents.

I will start this rebuttal by inserting an excerpt from the front page of the Gentle Wind website:

"Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available.

Welcome...

". . .I think this Trauma Card might save my sanity out here in Iraq. Thank you Gentle Wind Project!"
A U.S. Army Combat Soldier currently stationed in Iraq.

What You Will Find

Welcome to The Gentle Wind Project web site. The Gentle Wind Project is a Not-for-Profit Education and Research Corporation located in Kittery, Maine, USA and registered with both the state and federal governments since 1983. All non-profits MUST raise money just like profit corporations or we could not exist. All non-profits must prosper and their employees must be paid competitive salaries to maintain their viability. Our financial accounts are public record. Click here: ACCOUNTING.

To date the majority of our funds have been spent on research, a process of studying the human consciousness and developing healing technologies to alleviate human suffering. The Gentle Wind Project has gathered 15 large volumes of research material spanning twenty-one years that were available at the Summer Conference 2004 for all participants to view.

The healing technology comes in the form of healing instruments. The healing available through these instruments has always been and will remain free of charge. The Project has over 6500 volunteers world-wide who offer the use of their instruments free of charge. This means that no one has ever had to pay anything, join anything, believe anything, give allegiance to anything or sacrifice anything in order to obtain free help."

OK, now let's see, the very first thing you read is "Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available". Is GWP now claiming that they can deprogram you if you belong to a cult? Does this also apply to the cult of GWP?

Then there is the quote from a soldier in Iraq. Notice that no name is given so that the quote can be verified.

Then GWP goes on to talk about how they are Non-Profit, and must raise money just like everyone else. They even provide a link to their Accounting Dept. Why all the talk about their financial processes? Are they trying to say they have nothing to hide? Why?

Next, they talk about the volumes (15) of information they have based on their research. Why is it only available to those who attend one of their "seminars"? If this information is so beneficial to mankind, and they are a Non-Profit organization whose sole purpose is to help humanity, why not share the information?

And finally, they talk about how the instruments are available to anyone free of charge, and that you don't have to believe in anything, or join anything, or pay anything. Again, are the trying to dispell myths about their organization being a cult?

At the bottom of the front page, it gets really interesting. No less than 3 times they state they are not a cult. They also state, and I find this extremely funny, that they are not out to take over a community, state, country, or the world. THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST RIDICULOUS STATEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A WEBSITE. I mean, how many Non-Profit organizations have such a disclaimer?

After reading the posts here, and investigating the GWP site for myself, I have to agree that this is a cult-like organization, whose sole purpose is to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. I will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise.

My 2 cents.

I will start this rebuttal by inserting an excerpt from the front page of the Gentle Wind website:

"Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available.

Welcome...

". . .I think this Trauma Card might save my sanity out here in Iraq. Thank you Gentle Wind Project!"
A U.S. Army Combat Soldier currently stationed in Iraq.

What You Will Find

Welcome to The Gentle Wind Project web site. The Gentle Wind Project is a Not-for-Profit Education and Research Corporation located in Kittery, Maine, USA and registered with both the state and federal governments since 1983. All non-profits MUST raise money just like profit corporations or we could not exist. All non-profits must prosper and their employees must be paid competitive salaries to maintain their viability. Our financial accounts are public record. Click here: ACCOUNTING.

To date the majority of our funds have been spent on research, a process of studying the human consciousness and developing healing technologies to alleviate human suffering. The Gentle Wind Project has gathered 15 large volumes of research material spanning twenty-one years that were available at the Summer Conference 2004 for all participants to view.

The healing technology comes in the form of healing instruments. The healing available through these instruments has always been and will remain free of charge. The Project has over 6500 volunteers world-wide who offer the use of their instruments free of charge. This means that no one has ever had to pay anything, join anything, believe anything, give allegiance to anything or sacrifice anything in order to obtain free help."

OK, now let's see, the very first thing you read is "Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available". Is GWP now claiming that they can deprogram you if you belong to a cult? Does this also apply to the cult of GWP?

Then there is the quote from a soldier in Iraq. Notice that no name is given so that the quote can be verified.

Then GWP goes on to talk about how they are Non-Profit, and must raise money just like everyone else. They even provide a link to their Accounting Dept. Why all the talk about their financial processes? Are they trying to say they have nothing to hide? Why?

Next, they talk about the volumes (15) of information they have based on their research. Why is it only available to those who attend one of their "seminars"? If this information is so beneficial to mankind, and they are a Non-Profit organization whose sole purpose is to help humanity, why not share the information?

And finally, they talk about how the instruments are available to anyone free of charge, and that you don't have to believe in anything, or join anything, or pay anything. Again, are the trying to dispell myths about their organization being a cult?

At the bottom of the front page, it gets really interesting. No less than 3 times they state they are not a cult. They also state, and I find this extremely funny, that they are not out to take over a community, state, country, or the world. THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST RIDICULOUS STATEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A WEBSITE. I mean, how many Non-Profit organizations have such a disclaimer?

After reading the posts here, and investigating the GWP site for myself, I have to agree that this is a cult-like organization, whose sole purpose is to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. I will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise.

My 2 cents.

I will start this rebuttal by inserting an excerpt from the front page of the Gentle Wind website:

"Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available.

Welcome...

". . .I think this Trauma Card might save my sanity out here in Iraq. Thank you Gentle Wind Project!"
A U.S. Army Combat Soldier currently stationed in Iraq.

What You Will Find

Welcome to The Gentle Wind Project web site. The Gentle Wind Project is a Not-for-Profit Education and Research Corporation located in Kittery, Maine, USA and registered with both the state and federal governments since 1983. All non-profits MUST raise money just like profit corporations or we could not exist. All non-profits must prosper and their employees must be paid competitive salaries to maintain their viability. Our financial accounts are public record. Click here: ACCOUNTING.

To date the majority of our funds have been spent on research, a process of studying the human consciousness and developing healing technologies to alleviate human suffering. The Gentle Wind Project has gathered 15 large volumes of research material spanning twenty-one years that were available at the Summer Conference 2004 for all participants to view.

The healing technology comes in the form of healing instruments. The healing available through these instruments has always been and will remain free of charge. The Project has over 6500 volunteers world-wide who offer the use of their instruments free of charge. This means that no one has ever had to pay anything, join anything, believe anything, give allegiance to anything or sacrifice anything in order to obtain free help."

OK, now let's see, the very first thing you read is "Free Cult Deprogramming Services Now Available". Is GWP now claiming that they can deprogram you if you belong to a cult? Does this also apply to the cult of GWP?

Then there is the quote from a soldier in Iraq. Notice that no name is given so that the quote can be verified.

Then GWP goes on to talk about how they are Non-Profit, and must raise money just like everyone else. They even provide a link to their Accounting Dept. Why all the talk about their financial processes? Are they trying to say they have nothing to hide? Why?

Next, they talk about the volumes (15) of information they have based on their research. Why is it only available to those who attend one of their "seminars"? If this information is so beneficial to mankind, and they are a Non-Profit organization whose sole purpose is to help humanity, why not share the information?

And finally, they talk about how the instruments are available to anyone free of charge, and that you don't have to believe in anything, or join anything, or pay anything. Again, are the trying to dispell myths about their organization being a cult?

At the bottom of the front page, it gets really interesting. No less than 3 times they state they are not a cult. They also state, and I find this extremely funny, that they are not out to take over a community, state, country, or the world. THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST RIDICULOUS STATEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN ON A WEBSITE. I mean, how many Non-Profit organizations have such a disclaimer?

After reading the posts here, and investigating the GWP site for myself, I have to agree that this is a cult-like organization, whose sole purpose is to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. I will distrust the comments from anyone who says otherwise.

My 2 cents.

I am an internationally known author and educator who works with children who have special needs and their therapists, teachers and parents. I use the healing instruments from the Gentle Wind Project with this population.

In addition, I conducted a research project, published on my website

((redacted, sorry, no free advertising))

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

which concludes that the 600 subjects (children who have special needs, their siblings and their parents), who used the healing instruments from the Gentle Wind Project, improved their quality of life and their ability to find the inner resources necessary to accomplish tasks they had never even attempted prior to the use of these healing instruments. This researcher found that this technology does not fix or cure developmental delays; however, the vast improvement in a person's ability to access their own resources improved dramatically.

This self-empowerment is critical to me as I review the statements made on this Rip-Off Report website. As I continue to use the healing instruments from the Gentle Wind Project with therapists, parents and teachers the feedback I receive from them is that they experience a sense of self-empowerment. They report that after holding a healing instrument, they are more able to stay present with another human being and remain focused on a task without getting over-energized about/around it. This ability to reach out to another human being is what, I know "makes the world go round." What is most important to note here is the difference and ease that these adults know, sense and feel after holding a healing instrument from the Gentle Wind Project. They report they have more space within their own being so they can more deeply connect with another human being and reportedly with so much greater ease. This is self-empowerment.

If a healing instrument from the Gentle Wind Project can empower people to follow our own truth and more easily be present for another human being then I will continue to support the Project in what ever way that I can. I use the healing instruments regularly in the same way that I use a good bar of soap regularly or eat good, nutritious food regularly. And I encourage others to do the same.

Thank you for posting my response.

Cecilia M.Ed.
August 20, 2004

Anyone can pick up a pen or a keyboard and write unfounded accusations.

The Ripp-Off report on The Gentle Wind Project looks like that to me--unfounded generalizations.

The individual posting this report on The Gentle Wind Project does not state how he has personally been a victim of this organization and does not state how he was ripped-off by them. What is being presented here seems to be unproven second hand information. And when someone who has personal experience of The Gentle Wind Project replies, he invalidates them, again without providing any personal story of how he has been ripped-off.

I am and have been a client of The Gentle Wind Project for about 20 years. I have continuously used their products during this time and have experienced enormous benefit from them. The benefits that I have received are of a type that can be documented scientifically in the field of mental health and do not constitute a placebo effect which is a scientific term used by researchers for an improvement in a condition that does not last more than 12 weeks. Furthermore, I have shared my healing instruments with others who have experienced similar improvements in their own mental and emotional well being. I have even used my instruments with my pets and found them to be very effective in calming severely traumatized pets after accidents or operations. I gain nothing personally from sharing my instruments except satisfaction in helping others. I have never been asked by The Gentle Wind Project to join anything and I have never been taken advantage of. I have always found the Gentle Wind staff to be people of integrity.

Because I am someone who loves to travel and visits remote impoverished parts of the world, The Gentle Wind Project has donated, with no strings attached, healing instruments for me to take and give to suffering people in orphanages, health care facilities and other organizations that help the needy. The caregivers have told me that the people using these instruments are benefiting from them showing an improvement in their mental and emotional outlook.

I am not particularly interested in where The Gentle Wind Project technology comes from or how it actually works. There are thousands of things on this planet that I have no clue as to how they work--my car, an airplane, my television, an x-ray machine--but I use them anyway because of the benefits that they bring me. I am able to judge the benefits or lack of benefits of the products I use and that is the bottom line for me. If I were hungry and went to a soup kitchen operated by a Church that had beliefs that were different from mine, I would eat the food as long as my belief system was respected and there were no strings attached. This has always been the case for me in regards to The Gentle Wind Project. They have always offered me help with no strings attached.

I would also like to add that I have been to conferences and heard fully credentialed and licensed health care professionals give accounts of their research using The Gentle Wind project technology and the positive results they have obtained.

I therefore state that the ripp-off report posted on this site is unfounded, unproven and contrary to my personnel 20-year experience with The Gentle Wind Project.

The Ripp-Off Report is a very useful and valuable venue for people who have been truly victimized to have an opportunity to get the power they need to right wrongs perpetrated against them. It is unfortunate when such a potential for good is used as a forum, not to present a personal account of victimization, but to attempt to destroy an organization doing so much good in the world.

In the course of their research, the Gentle Wind Project has developed the Healing Technology that is being discussed on this site. What has been completely overlooked in this discussion is that aspect of the research which has resulted in the aptly named "Relationship" information.

For many people, good relationships with other people remain out of reach. This was the case for me until I received my "Personality Cards" from the Gentle Wind Project. Receiving these cards and beginning to understand and act within my true nature has been the greatest gift I have ever received.

It made an enormous difference in me to understand "how" I am, rather than "why" I am. Once I was able to reconnect with my true nature, good relationships blossomed all around me: in my family, my work, and my community. I cannot thank the Gentle Wind Project enough for bothering to do the research that resulted in this most basic and logical information--information that modern psychology has been unable to discern. Every person, in my opinion, is entitled to and could benefit from a better understanding of their individual, unique personality.

The research process that resulted in this information is fascinating. And, the research continues as people report back on their experiences integrating this information into their lives. Only an organization that holds itself to the highest ethical standards could be trusted to hold this type of extremely personal information about an individual person, and obviously, to me, the Gentle Wind Project meets that incredibly high standard.

Thank you for considering this aspect of the Gentle Wind Project in this most important discussion.

As a registered nurse with a masters in counseling psychology I have used the gentle wind instruments in my personal and professional life. I have many cases of patients who have benefited from sharing my instruments.

While I always give medications needed for my patients, I have witnessed improved respirations and vital sign results as well as better sleep cycles and less agitation and restlessness in my patients who have held an instrument from gentle wind.

I do not and could not go to work as a nurse without these instruments. People in pain and emotional suffering find medications helpful, but not long lasting. The tools have helped people get better faster and enabled many patients to go home and live independently.

Demented patients who use the instruments are less hostile and combative. They are easier to be around and easier to help.

Dying patients on morphine and antianxiety medications who continue to be restless and anxious become peaceful and able to end life without fear after holding an instrument.


As a licensed credentialed medical professional I have successfully used the gentle wind project instruments with hundreds of patients with positive results

So you claim to have reviewed "volumes of documentation" on the effectiveness of this "healing technology"?

Why does the Gentle Wind Project refuse to make these results public?

Who don't then identify the so-called "credentialed medical professionals" who supposedly support these studies?

Why won't they share the details of their scientific methods?

Why does the Gentle Wind Project spend more than $800,000 in "research" when the technical specifications for their devices comes from the "spririt world"?

Glad to see you have provided a place on your site where people can speak their personal experience, no matter what the view.

I stumbled upon the Gentle Wind Project about six years ago and was extremely skeptical at the time as to the effectiveness of their so called instruments, but decided to give it a try as it did not cost anything and nothing was asked of me.

After holding one, along with my wife and one of my children I forgot about it and quite frankly dismissed it. A week or two later I noticed some changes in myself as well as my wife and the one child who also held it. My wife noticed the changes as well. Still not convinced it was the Gentle Wind instruments I had some friends as well as my employees hold it, (I own a small manufacturing business). These were people I knew fairly well. I am not a person who takes other peoples word for things and like to make up my own mind, especially something as unusual as this. Surprisingly these people noticed things as well, especially a couple of my employees. This was enough for me to take notice and decide to get a Gentle Wind instrument for myself.

Since then I have continued to see positive changes in many of the folks that hold the healing instrument. Not everyone, nor always earth shattering changes, but enough to consider it a valuable tool.

I have also found the full time folks at the project very sincere, courteous, genuine people that have never pressured me to behave or believe in any way.

This has been my experience.

I have been using the Gentle Wind Project healing technology for many years and have found it to be very very effective. I have noticed that I am better able to cope with everyday stressors as well as more traumatic events that occur. I have seen the same types of changes in family members, friends, and others who have used the healing instruments. It is my hope that the Gentle Wind Project will continue their research and will continue helping people find relief as they have done for many years.

I would also like to point out that the Gentle Wind Project has documented scientific research as well as anecdotal reports to back up their claims. I have personally read through some of the volumes of documentation, which were on display for all to inspect at their last annual conference. There were also licensed, credentialed medical professionals in attendance who are conducting their own independent, scientific studies of the Gentle Wind healing technology. Many of them plan on presenting their findings at the next annual conference, as well as sharing the results with their colleagues in the medical field.

Thank you for posting my comment.

I have used Gentle Wind products for over four years. I have received great benefits from them, and they have improved the quality of my life
considerably. My family has also used them, and there has been a quantum improvement in our relationships with, tolerance for, and understanding of each other. Over the past four years I have seen myself, and my family members, become more calm, less anxious, and better able to handle stress.

I am also caring for aged parents, and I find that because of my use of the Gentle Wind instruments I am not emotionally and physically depleted, and have the emotional and psychological resources that I need to do the
job. My parents, because of their advanced ages, often get confused and disoriented. After they use the Gentle Wind technology, they are calmer,
considerably more alert, and better able to make rational decisions about their lives and care. Also, when they are depressed and use the
instruments, I notice a significant lifting of their mood. The only difference in their lives and in mine has been the use of the Gentle
Wind healing instruments.

I have been using the Gentle Wind Project healing technology for many years and have found it to be very very effective. I have noticed that I am better able to cope with everyday stressors as well as more traumatic events that occur. I have seen the same types of changes in family members, friends, and others who have used the healing instruments. It is my hope that the Gentle Wind Project will continue their research and will continue helping people find relief as they have done for many years.

I would also like to point out that the Gentle Wind Project has documented scientific research as well as anecdotal reports to back up their claims. I have personally read through some of the volumes of documentation, which were on display for all to inspect at their last annual conference. There were also licensed, credentialed medical professionals in attendance who are conducting their own independent, scientific studies of the Gentle Wind healing technology. Many of them plan on presenting their findings at the next annual conference, as well as sharing the results with their colleagues in the medical field.

Thank you for posting my comment.

If you think that you've been helped by the GWP, then that's your perogative, however you still cannot prove in any way that they're healing instruments have done anything for you, other than having a placebo effect.

Now if you want to look at the positive side of that, then you must be a very powerful person, in that you can make yourself believe that you've been helped by the GWP, when in fact it was really yourself doing it all. Take back your power. You did it all yourself not the GWP.

I really love it when people tell how the GWP people have the highest integrity. You don't know who you're really dealing with. If they're so filled with integrity and caring then why is all of this stuff happening to them? It's happening because they're a bunch of BS artists masquerading are caring compassionate people, who want to help heal the world, when in fact what they really are, is a cult lead by a couple of self-serving egomaniacs, who don't even know the meaning of the word integrity.

Why aren't you interested in how they've conducted themselves over the years?

Are you aware that one of the GWP leaders took clients from her counceling practice and brought them with her into the GWP? Does that sound like someone with integrity?

Are you aware of the mis-appropiation of funds?

Are you aware of how much money the GWP pays their leaders, after paying for all of their living expenses?

Are you aware of the cabin cruiser boat that is owned by the GWP, not to mention all of the expensive luxury cars? Supposidly needed for research?

Are you aware of the vacation home in Florida that was sold not too long ago?

Are you aware that Judy Garvey and Jim Bergin were listed on the GWP tax returns as Directors, but GWP claims that they were involved only superficially with the GWP?

If you read they're website not too long ago they were saying that they were sending representatives to Iran after the earthquake that hit there. They didn't send any representatives, two people decided that they wanted to go and bring healing instruments, then GWP put up on their website that they were sending people. From what I've heard they did not pay for any of the trip it was paid completely by the two people who wanted to go. What's that all about?

Are you aware that the GWP lies constantly and makes up stories?

Why don't you think it might be important to know why several of the women involved in the GWP have changed their last names to Miller? In case anyone reading this doesn't know the leader of the pact is John Miller. Doesn't that make you think that maybe they're following a cult leader?

Why on earth would Judy Garvey or Jim Bergin ever want to publish their own webisite detailing what happened to them in the GWP? Nobody wants to be put on public scrutiny like that. They did it because they happen to have some personal integrity and didn't want anyone else taken in by the GWP.

If you truly look at the GWP then they start to fall apart very quickly. Any person who is not involved in the GWP would be able in a short amount of time to sum up what's going on and tell you that they're obviously a cult. So why would you want to be involved in a cult?

There's just too many holes in the GWP stories. They're desperately trying to maintain the status quo, but eventually it's all going to blow up in their faces. In fact it actually has already.

Once the code of silence was broken by Judy Garvey and Jim Bergin, then everything else started to unravel and now everyone is finding out more and more disturbing things about the GWP.

Now of course, GWP is trying to punish Judy Garvey and Jim Bergin for telling the truth, not to mention anyone else who would have the nerve to say something negative about them. Ever hear of free speech????

Don't be taken in by them.

This is exactly what cults do, they make you
believe that they have all the answers and you should blindly follow them.

I feel very very very sorry for the people that have been taken in by the GWP, because at some point they're going to come to their senses and figure out what's really going on. Then you get to feel embarassed/humiliated/hurt and on and on. Not to mention all the donations you might have made.

When someone says that they were never asked for money, they're telling the truth that's not how the GWP operates, they get their donations by making you believe that you need their healing instruments and that the healing instruments are the only answer for your problems.

If they're healing instruments are so wonderful why would you keep needing to use them over and over again. I mean after all they're supppose to fix over 200,000 different things in your body after using them once.

God are we stupid or what???? Well maybe not stupid, but certainly vulnerable, which leaves us open to unscrupulous people like the GWP.

First of all, wireless internet is something that can be objectively explained and verified. Just go to the How Stuff Works web site. Healing instruments supposedly manipulated an oval shaped energy field. What a crock.

As for during fibromyalgia, you may as well have been holding pet rock and it sounds like pure coincidence that you were "cured". It is more likely that you never had fibromyaligia to begin with or benefited from some time of medical treatment.

Fibromyalgia is sort of a catch all diagnosis when doctors can't find anything specifically wrong with you. It's not a specific condition or disease. I know a woman who's had "fibromyalgia" for years. Someone finally figured our that she was allergic aspartame, a common ingredient in diet soda. I'll bet the same thing happened to you: you finally found a medical treatment worked, not by holding a piece of colorful plastic.

First of all, wireless internet is something that can be objectively explained and verified. Just go to the How Stuff Works web site. Healing instruments supposedly manipulated an oval shaped energy field. What a crock.

As for during fibromyalgia, you may as well have been holding pet rock and it sounds like pure coincidence that you were "cured". It is more likely that you never had fibromyaligia to begin with or benefited from some time of medical treatment.

Fibromyalgia is sort of a catch all diagnosis when doctors can't find anything specifically wrong with you. It's not a specific condition or disease. I know a woman who's had "fibromyalgia" for years. Someone finally figured our that she was allergic aspartame, a common ingredient in diet soda. I'll bet the same thing happened to you: you finally found a medical treatment worked, not by holding a piece of colorful plastic.

First of all, wireless internet is something that can be objectively explained and verified. Just go to the How Stuff Works web site. Healing instruments supposedly manipulated an oval shaped energy field. What a crock.

As for during fibromyalgia, you may as well have been holding pet rock and it sounds like pure coincidence that you were "cured". It is more likely that you never had fibromyaligia to begin with or benefited from some time of medical treatment.

Fibromyalgia is sort of a catch all diagnosis when doctors can't find anything specifically wrong with you. It's not a specific condition or disease. I know a woman who's had "fibromyalgia" for years. Someone finally figured our that she was allergic aspartame, a common ingredient in diet soda. I'll bet the same thing happened to you: you finally found a medical treatment worked, not by holding a piece of colorful plastic.

First of all, wireless internet is something that can be objectively explained and verified. Just go to the How Stuff Works web site. Healing instruments supposedly manipulated an oval shaped energy field. What a crock.

As for during fibromyalgia, you may as well have been holding pet rock and it sounds like pure coincidence that you were "cured". It is more likely that you never had fibromyaligia to begin with or benefited from some time of medical treatment.

Fibromyalgia is sort of a catch all diagnosis when doctors can't find anything specifically wrong with you. It's not a specific condition or disease. I know a woman who's had "fibromyalgia" for years. Someone finally figured our that she was allergic aspartame, a common ingredient in diet soda. I'll bet the same thing happened to you: you finally found a medical treatment worked, not by holding a piece of colorful plastic.

I must admit, I don't know how these Healing Instruments work! However, I'm using wireless internet right now, and I don't know how that works, either--but I feel qualified to say it does work...

And that is my experience with the Gentle Wind Project. I suffered greatly from fibromyalgia, and was told by my physician that I would have this disease for the rest of my life. I was offered a free "healing" using one of the first physical rebalancing instruments. Gentle Wind was very clear that they made no claims about what the healing would accomplish.

The very first time I was offered this free healing I noticed a major improvement in my physical health; neck and shoulder pain decreased significantly. This relief was substantial enough that I made a donation to the Project and obtained my own Instrument.

About a year later, after holding this Instrument 5 minutes per day, my fibromyalgia was in remission. I continue to experience robustly good health. I'm even riding horses again! So, for a small investment of time, and a tax deductible donation, I have my health back.

Do I feel ripped off or under a magic spell? No. Do I know what the proprietary formula is in these Instruments? No. I tried it for free, I liked the result, and I made a small donation to support the research so that the Instruments can continue to be improved. Everything I have personally experienced with the Gentle Wind Project has been characterized by the highest level of integrity.

Getting away from the habit of using the gentle wind healing cards and then beginning to think about the money I spent purchasing these things has been very depressing to me and has caused some serious problems with my extended family and friends. I didn't have any time for them if they weren't interested in gentle wind. My family is acccepting, and glad that I figured things out, but some of them feel hurt that I ignored their warnings to listen to outside opinions.

When I was using these things, I was really smug and tried to push them on people. Now I am ashamed of what I did -- trying to get everyone I knew to use or to buy them -- because I was under some kind of spell.

On top of that, using these things took over something really integral to me and stopped my individuality.

I never thought this could happen to me but it did. I was taken in by the first seminar I attended, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it I was saying the same things that I was hearing and reading.

I advise anyone to check all the facts and read all the opinions before buying anything from these people. The woman who speaks at the seminars could sell anything to anyone.

The real changes happened when I finally saw what was going on because of my obsession, and tore up the cards! Now, after finding out that gentle wind is being investigated, I've sent in my report about what happened to me.

It's called blind faith, and, along with other know it alls, I used to laugh about it taking place in religious groups and cults, but didn't recognize it in myself.

It's no use arguing about this with people who are seriously using the cards and other instruments. They have to find out for themselves, and they probably will because it doesn't feel very good underneath the high that comes from using these things...the placebo effect from the gentle wind powerful suggestions. It actually felt awful to say and try to believe that everything was great when it wasn't, and to agree with other IKs that gentle wind was the final answer to everything when it wasn't the answer to anything.

Better to use the energy of arguing with these people and put it into education for those who haven't gotten caught up in this.

Thanks,

This last response is so typical of GWP instrument keepers. The don't know how their stuff works and cannot offer any objective evidence of how it works.

These devices are dangerous to your pocket book. Hundreds of dollars for laminated cards with fancy colors? This group spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on "research", yet they claim the designs for these device arrive to them "telepathically" from the "spirit world". Don't make word for it, check it out for yourself on their web site and others. Do a google search for "gentle wind project fraud" or "gentle wind project lawsuit". If you disagree with them, they will sue you.

I experienced the Gentle Wind Project after a major loss. I was not asked for any payment. Nor was I contacted or solicited by the Gentle Wind Project. This healing helped and I felt stronger and balanced emotionally dealing with the death of my husband.

The instruments, like prayers, quoting Margaret Mead: do not use up artificial energy, burn fossil fuel, or pollute. Also, there are no chemicals, its drug free and not dangerous. The idea here is emotional pain relief. It's a good thing and in my considered opinion, effective. I would say 15 years later, it helps some people get a better grip on life.

We don't know how it works Shakespeare wrote- "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies. . .

Hi,
I was an instrument keeper for the GWP for approximately 7 years. I spent a huge amount of money on "healing instruments"

I also use to be a very stong believer in the "healing instruments".

In March I went on-line and read the Wind of Changes website which details things that have gone on in the GWP. My eyes were very forcefully and painfully opened up.

Unfortunately the reality is that the "healing instruments" do not really work.

The instruments keepers who are still faithful to the GWP have lost they're ability to reason or think for themselves about what is really happening. They will argue and abuse anyone who finally gets the truth and tries let them know what the truth really is.

I know this from first hand experience. I was a member of both the GWP discussion boards. After I found out what the real deal was with the GWP I tried to let the other instrument keepers know. The abuse and psychic attacks that were thrown at me were incredible.

Now it only makes sense that if indeed these so called healing instruments really were capable of doing what the GWP says that they do, then you would think that the people on the discussion boards would not be so angry and nasty when confronted with the opinions of someone else.

That was not the case for me. I was told that I was a bad parent, that I was immature, selfish, mean, irresponible you name it and I was probably called it.

I was basically told by other board members that I shouldn't be questioning anything to do with the GWP, that the people who run GWP are the nicest, kindest, most moral and integrity filled people you could ever possibly meet and that they are selflessly trying to heal the world.

I had all of that thrown at me, because I dared to ask questions and wanted to know the truth.


(What would happen to this country if that's the way everything was run? You're not allowed to question anything. Gee seems to me that we'd be like a country such as Iraq was. Well that's exactly how the GWP wants to run their non-profit organization. They do not answer questions. How dare you even think of questioning them. They have good reasons for doing everything that they do. Such as, why some of the women have changed their names to Miller, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the co-founders brother for healthcare, having a vacation home in Florida, buying every grownup toy imagineable. The list goes on and on.)


As far as I'm concerned it is very very obvious to anyone not involved with the GWP as to what they really are. A self-serving brainwashing cult.

Unfortunately they have many people in their clutches who would rather defend them to the end than to really look at what's really going on.

I use to have different wall symbols hanging up in my house that were supposidly keeping negative "stuff" from happening in my home and keeping everyone happy.

To be perfectly honest with you it took me a few weeks to be able to take them down. You see I was brainwashed by the GWP and was afraid of what would happen if I did take them down. Well I'm here to tell you that nothing happened, nothing at all. Everything is exactly the same in my house.

A very close friend of mine who I became very distanced from do to the GWP told me not long ago that it's like a huge black cloud has been lifted from me.

I also believed that the healing instruments that I had other people use had really helped them, but the truth of the matter is that they didn't do anything.

I haven't seen anyone who's in abusive relationships get out of them (this is something that was written on one of the GWP pamplets) I haven't seen anyone change for the better or seen their lives get better because of using the GWP healing instruments.

After looking at them with my eyes opened and not shut I can see all of this now, whereas before I wanted to believe that they had been helped.

What the GWP does is basically take away all your power and lead you to believe that your only hope is the healing instruments. They want you to believe that you can't be helped by anything but their healing instruments and that every single person in this world is damaged goods.

Since finding out the truth my life has improved and I'm much happier.

No longer do I have to feel the pressure of getting people to use my healing instruments. It's wonderful. I'm so glad that I finally found out the truth and can move on with my life.

I hope that other Instument keepers who are still trying to hang on to the GWP lies are starting to open up their eyes. It's easy to see the truth when you want to.

One last thing, the last time that I received an e-mail from GWP it had a virus attached to it. Nice people don't you think???

Hi,
I was an instrument keeper for the GWP for approximately 7 years. I spent a huge amount of money on "healing instruments"

I also use to be a very stong believer in the "healing instruments".

In March I went on-line and read the Wind of Changes website which details things that have gone on in the GWP. My eyes were very forcefully and painfully opened up.

Unfortunately the reality is that the "healing instruments" do not really work.

The instruments keepers who are still faithful to the GWP have lost they're ability to reason or think for themselves about what is really happening. They will argue and abuse anyone who finally gets the truth and tries let them know what the truth really is.

I know this from first hand experience. I was a member of both the GWP discussion boards. After I found out what the real deal was with the GWP I tried to let the other instrument keepers know. The abuse and psychic attacks that were thrown at me were incredible.

Now it only makes sense that if indeed these so called healing instruments really were capable of doing what the GWP says that they do, then you would think that the people on the discussion boards would not be so angry and nasty when confronted with the opinions of someone else.

That was not the case for me. I was told that I was a bad parent, that I was immature, selfish, mean, irresponible you name it and I was probably called it.

I was basically told by other board members that I shouldn't be questioning anything to do with the GWP, that the people who run GWP are the nicest, kindest, most moral and integrity filled people you could ever possibly meet and that they are selflessly trying to heal the world.

I had all of that thrown at me, because I dared to ask questions and wanted to know the truth.


(What would happen to this country if that's the way everything was run? You're not allowed to question anything. Gee seems to me that we'd be like a country such as Iraq was. Well that's exactly how the GWP wants to run their non-profit organization. They do not answer questions. How dare you even think of questioning them. They have good reasons for doing everything that they do. Such as, why some of the women have changed their names to Miller, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the co-founders brother for healthcare, having a vacation home in Florida, buying every grownup toy imagineable. The list goes on and on.)


As far as I'm concerned it is very very obvious to anyone not involved with the GWP as to what they really are. A self-serving brainwashing cult.

Unfortunately they have many people in their clutches who would rather defend them to the end than to really look at what's really going on.

I use to have different wall symbols hanging up in my house that were supposidly keeping negative "stuff" from happening in my home and keeping everyone happy.

To be perfectly honest with you it took me a few weeks to be able to take them down. You see I was brainwashed by the GWP and was afraid of what would happen if I did take them down. Well I'm here to tell you that nothing happened, nothing at all. Everything is exactly the same in my house.

A very close friend of mine who I became very distanced from do to the GWP told me not long ago that it's like a huge black cloud has been lifted from me.

I also believed that the healing instruments that I had other people use had really helped them, but the truth of the matter is that they didn't do anything.

I haven't seen anyone who's in abusive relationships get out of them (this is something that was written on one of the GWP pamplets) I haven't seen anyone change for the better or seen their lives get better because of using the GWP healing instruments.

After looking at them with my eyes opened and not shut I can see all of this now, whereas before I wanted to believe that they had been helped.

What the GWP does is basically take away all your power and lead you to believe that your only hope is the healing instruments. They want you to believe that you can't be helped by anything but their healing instruments and that every single person in this world is damaged goods.

Since finding out the truth my life has improved and I'm much happier.

No longer do I have to feel the pressure of getting people to use my healing instruments. It's wonderful. I'm so glad that I finally found out the truth and can move on with my life.

I hope that other Instument keepers who are still trying to hang on to the GWP lies are starting to open up their eyes. It's easy to see the truth when you want to.

One last thing, the last time that I received an e-mail from GWP it had a virus attached to it. Nice people don't you think???

Hi,
I was an instrument keeper for the GWP for approximately 7 years. I spent a huge amount of money on "healing instruments"

I also use to be a very stong believer in the "healing instruments".

In March I went on-line and read the Wind of Changes website which details things that have gone on in the GWP. My eyes were very forcefully and painfully opened up.

Unfortunately the reality is that the "healing instruments" do not really work.

The instruments keepers who are still faithful to the GWP have lost they're ability to reason or think for themselves about what is really happening. They will argue and abuse anyone who finally gets the truth and tries let them know what the truth really is.

I know this from first hand experience. I was a member of both the GWP discussion boards. After I found out what the real deal was with the GWP I tried to let the other instrument keepers know. The abuse and psychic attacks that were thrown at me were incredible.

Now it only makes sense that if indeed these so called healing instruments really were capable of doing what the GWP says that they do, then you would think that the people on the discussion boards would not be so angry and nasty when confronted with the opinions of someone else.

That was not the case for me. I was told that I was a bad parent, that I was immature, selfish, mean, irresponible you name it and I was probably called it.

I was basically told by other board members that I shouldn't be questioning anything to do with the GWP, that the people who run GWP are the nicest, kindest, most moral and integrity filled people you could ever possibly meet and that they are selflessly trying to heal the world.

I had all of that thrown at me, because I dared to ask questions and wanted to know the truth.


(What would happen to this country if that's the way everything was run? You're not allowed to question anything. Gee seems to me that we'd be like a country such as Iraq was. Well that's exactly how the GWP wants to run their non-profit organization. They do not answer questions. How dare you even think of questioning them. They have good reasons for doing everything that they do. Such as, why some of the women have changed their names to Miller, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the co-founders brother for healthcare, having a vacation home in Florida, buying every grownup toy imagineable. The list goes on and on.)


As far as I'm concerned it is very very obvious to anyone not involved with the GWP as to what they really are. A self-serving brainwashing cult.

Unfortunately they have many people in their clutches who would rather defend them to the end than to really look at what's really going on.

I use to have different wall symbols hanging up in my house that were supposidly keeping negative "stuff" from happening in my home and keeping everyone happy.

To be perfectly honest with you it took me a few weeks to be able to take them down. You see I was brainwashed by the GWP and was afraid of what would happen if I did take them down. Well I'm here to tell you that nothing happened, nothing at all. Everything is exactly the same in my house.

A very close friend of mine who I became very distanced from do to the GWP told me not long ago that it's like a huge black cloud has been lifted from me.

I also believed that the healing instruments that I had other people use had really helped them, but the truth of the matter is that they didn't do anything.

I haven't seen anyone who's in abusive relationships get out of them (this is something that was written on one of the GWP pamplets) I haven't seen anyone change for the better or seen their lives get better because of using the GWP healing instruments.

After looking at them with my eyes opened and not shut I can see all of this now, whereas before I wanted to believe that they had been helped.

What the GWP does is basically take away all your power and lead you to believe that your only hope is the healing instruments. They want you to believe that you can't be helped by anything but their healing instruments and that every single person in this world is damaged goods.

Since finding out the truth my life has improved and I'm much happier.

No longer do I have to feel the pressure of getting people to use my healing instruments. It's wonderful. I'm so glad that I finally found out the truth and can move on with my life.

I hope that other Instument keepers who are still trying to hang on to the GWP lies are starting to open up their eyes. It's easy to see the truth when you want to.

One last thing, the last time that I received an e-mail from GWP it had a virus attached to it. Nice people don't you think???

Hi,
I was an instrument keeper for the GWP for approximately 7 years. I spent a huge amount of money on "healing instruments"

I also use to be a very stong believer in the "healing instruments".

In March I went on-line and read the Wind of Changes website which details things that have gone on in the GWP. My eyes were very forcefully and painfully opened up.

Unfortunately the reality is that the "healing instruments" do not really work.

The instruments keepers who are still faithful to the GWP have lost they're ability to reason or think for themselves about what is really happening. They will argue and abuse anyone who finally gets the truth and tries let them know what the truth really is.

I know this from first hand experience. I was a member of both the GWP discussion boards. After I found out what the real deal was with the GWP I tried to let the other instrument keepers know. The abuse and psychic attacks that were thrown at me were incredible.

Now it only makes sense that if indeed these so called healing instruments really were capable of doing what the GWP says that they do, then you would think that the people on the discussion boards would not be so angry and nasty when confronted with the opinions of someone else.

That was not the case for me. I was told that I was a bad parent, that I was immature, selfish, mean, irresponible you name it and I was probably called it.

I was basically told by other board members that I shouldn't be questioning anything to do with the GWP, that the people who run GWP are the nicest, kindest, most moral and integrity filled people you could ever possibly meet and that they are selflessly trying to heal the world.

I had all of that thrown at me, because I dared to ask questions and wanted to know the truth.


(What would happen to this country if that's the way everything was run? You're not allowed to question anything. Gee seems to me that we'd be like a country such as Iraq was. Well that's exactly how the GWP wants to run their non-profit organization. They do not answer questions. How dare you even think of questioning them. They have good reasons for doing everything that they do. Such as, why some of the women have changed their names to Miller, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the co-founders brother for healthcare, having a vacation home in Florida, buying every grownup toy imagineable. The list goes on and on.)


As far as I'm concerned it is very very obvious to anyone not involved with the GWP as to what they really are. A self-serving brainwashing cult.

Unfortunately they have many people in their clutches who would rather defend them to the end than to really look at what's really going on.

I use to have different wall symbols hanging up in my house that were supposidly keeping negative "stuff" from happening in my home and keeping everyone happy.

To be perfectly honest with you it took me a few weeks to be able to take them down. You see I was brainwashed by the GWP and was afraid of what would happen if I did take them down. Well I'm here to tell you that nothing happened, nothing at all. Everything is exactly the same in my house.

A very close friend of mine who I became very distanced from do to the GWP told me not long ago that it's like a huge black cloud has been lifted from me.

I also believed that the healing instruments that I had other people use had really helped them, but the truth of the matter is that they didn't do anything.

I haven't seen anyone who's in abusive relationships get out of them (this is something that was written on one of the GWP pamplets) I haven't seen anyone change for the better or seen their lives get better because of using the GWP healing instruments.

After looking at them with my eyes opened and not shut I can see all of this now, whereas before I wanted to believe that they had been helped.

What the GWP does is basically take away all your power and lead you to believe that your only hope is the healing instruments. They want you to believe that you can't be helped by anything but their healing instruments and that every single person in this world is damaged goods.

Since finding out the truth my life has improved and I'm much happier.

No longer do I have to feel the pressure of getting people to use my healing instruments. It's wonderful. I'm so glad that I finally found out the truth and can move on with my life.

I hope that other Instument keepers who are still trying to hang on to the GWP lies are starting to open up their eyes. It's easy to see the truth when you want to.

One last thing, the last time that I received an e-mail from GWP it had a virus attached to it. Nice people don't you think???

Anyone can pick up a pen or a keyboard and write unfounded accusations.

The Ripp-Off report on The Gentle Wind Project looks like that to me--unfounded generalizations. It appears as if The Ripp-Off Report.com has itself been a victim of a ripp-off.

The individual posting this report on The Gentle Wind Project does not state how he has personally been a victim of this organiization and does not state how he was ripped-off by them. What is being presented here seems to be unproven second hand information. And when someone who has personal experience of The Gentle Wind Project replies, he invalidates them, again without providing any personal story of how he has been ripped-off.

I am and have been a client of The Gentle Wind Project for about 20 years. I have continuously used their products during this time and have experienced enormous benefit from them. The benefits that I have received are of a type that can be documented scientifically in the field of mental health and do not constitute a placebo effect which is a scientific term used by researchers for an improvement in a condition that does not last more than 12 weeks. Furthermore, I have shared my healing instruments with others who have experienced similar improvments in their own mental and emotional well-being. I have even used my instruments with my pets and found them to be very effective in calming severely traumatized pets after accidents or operations. I gain nothing personally from sharing my instruments except satisfaction in helping others. I have never been asked by The Gentle Wind Project to join anything and I have never been taken advantage of. I have always found the Gentle Wind staff to be people of integrity.

Because I am someone who loves to travel and visits remote impoverished parts of the world, The Gentle Wind Project has donated, with no strings attached, healing instruments for me to take and give to suffering people in orphanages, health care facilites and other organizations that help the needy. The caregivers have told me that the people using these instruments are benefiting from them showing an improvement in their mental and emotional outlook.

I am not particularly interested in where The Gentle Wind Project technology comes from or how it actually works. There are thousands of things on this planet that I have no clue as to how they work--my car, an airplane, my television, an x-ray machine--but I use them anyway because of the benefits that they bring me. I am able to judge the benefits or lack of benefits of the products I use and that is the bottom line for me. If I were hungry and went to a soup kitchen operated by a Church that had beliefs that were different from mine, I would eat the food as long as my belief system was respected and there were no strings attached. This has always been the case for me in regards to The Gentle Wind Project. They have always offered me help with no strings attached. I have never been required to accept their belief system.

I would also like to add that I have been to conferences and heard fully credentialed and licensed health care professionals give accounts of their research using The Gentle Wind Project technology and the positive results they have obtained.

I therefore state that the ripp-off report posted on this site is unfounded, unproven and contrary to my personnel 20-year experience with The Gentle Wind Project.

The Ripp-Off Report is a very useful and valuable venue for people who have been truly victimized to have an opportunity to get the power they need to right wrongs perpetrated against them. It is unfortunate when such a potential for good is used as a forum, not to present a personal account of victimization, but to destroy an organization doing so much good in the world.

Ojai, California seems to be a magnet for "Instrument Keepers" for the Gentle Wind Project. GWP specifically denies that the "healing instruments", yet here is an instrument keeper claiming that she has obtained physical healing. She's even borrowing terminology from the GWP web site (i.e. "placebo effect").

They claim the devices are based on "technology from the spirit world." They do claim to be the only ones with acces to this "technology", but even the groups founder can't even explain how these things work.

As for Sarah, her so called education means nothing. She can't stay how the devices work, but she cannot say how. It must be a scientific hunch. Rev. Jim Jones held degrees from Indiana University and Butler University, but they didn't stop him from starting a cult.

Do I know how the Gentle Wind Project Healing Instruments work? No. I don't understand wireless internet, either, yet here I sit using it, and I feel qualified to say that it works!

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia several years ago, after a long, painful slide into poor health that left me in a chronic state of pain and depression. My physician was very clear that all I could do was learn to manage the pain, and that I would have fibromyalgia for the rest of my life. It was a very bleak feeling, thinking that my life was pretty much over before it ever really got started.

Then, I was introduced to the first of the Gentle Wind Project's "pain" relief series of Instruments. I want to be very clear that they never made any medical claims, other than they were researching a new technology that I was more than welcome to try-FOR FREE. It was asked that I report my results, but not mandated--in fact, I don't like paperwork and really didn't uphold my end in this regard.

However, the initial results were clearly promising enough for me that I made a donation to the Project to receive my own Healing Instrument, so that I would have daily access to it. Over the course of a year, my fibromyalgia steadily and surely dissipated, one symptom after another. So, for 5 minutes a day, and a donation that was tax deductible, I have ended up with NO FYBROMYALGIA!

Interestingly enough, my physician was not interested in discussing my well-being and health nearly as much as he was interested in discussing the prospect of my needing lifelong medical care and drug therapy. Despite clear evidence (bloodwork included) that I am now disease free, he was not interested to know how that happened. He is no longer my primary care physician.

Unless you have a chronically debilitating disease yourself, it must be really hard to imagine how small and dark my life had become. Now, I have MY LIFE back (including horses!!!), and God willing, a good 30-40 more years to keep sharing the wonder of these Instruments. I have never seen or heard any evidence that suggests that these Instruments or the people who provide them have anything but the best interests of humanity as their driving force.

What I have seen is a concerted effort by a very small group of people to try and smear the good name of the Gentle Wind Project and to stop others from test driving this technology for themselves. I don't pretend to understand their motivation in mounting this smear campaign, other than it just appears to be a personal grudge or for some personal gain.

As always, this technology is available, at no cost, to ANYONE who wants to try it. I hope mine, and other's, personal recommendation is enough to offset the plethora of half-truths and misinformation that has been posted about this organization that operates solely to alleviate the misery that most of humanity encounters on this planet. Thank you for evaluating, for yourself, what is good, and what is not.

Sincerely,

I am very happy with the Gentle Wind Project and its instruments. I expected nothing initially but received and continue to receive profound physical and emotional healings when I have used the instruments. I use them all the time. I am getting clearer and clearer the more I use them. I am an educated person and know that it is more than just a placebo effect.

The problem with the Gentle Wind Project and their instrument keepers is that nobody seems to know how this "healing technology" works and they are the only ones who have the ability to interpret the messages from the spirit world and make the "devices". I might feel better by holding my cat or hugging my family, but they don't have any magical healing powers.

The Gentle Wind Project claims these devices can manipulate your "energy field" to give you "emotional healing". Of course, there is no way to objectively verify this or measure this so-called energy field. The Gentle Wind Project won't claim that the devices can cause physical healing, but check out their web site. They claim that the emotional healing might make you less susceptible to cancer and other diseases.

I can assure you that the FBI, IRS and Attorney General for the state of Maine are actively investigating this group. More informatio will be posted as it becomes available.

I have used the Gentle Wind Instruments and find them to be invaluably helpful to me in my life. I feel balanced and centered and less stressed out after I use them.

I can assure you I am not being ripped off. I am satisfied that they are an organization of people with integrity and good intentions.