In the Shadow of Enlightenment
A Girl's Journey through the Osho Rajneesh Cult
by Sarito Carroll
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Pub Date 11 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 24 Nov 2024
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Description
In 1978, nine-year-old Sarito Carroll’s life took an unexpected turn when her mother brought her to India to visit the ashram of guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho). What was intended to be a brief trip over her summer vacation quickly became permanent when her mother decided they would stay and join the ashram. Three years later, when Rajneesh relocated to the United States, twelve-year-old Sarito arrived alone to Oregon, becoming one of the first thirty-five settlers at what would become Rajneeshpuram—a bold and controversial city built on the Big Muddy Ranch. The commune soon attracted thousands of devotees, lured by the guru’s promises of love, spiritual enlightenment, and a utopian society free from conventional constraints.
In the Shadow of Enlightenment is the gripping story of Carroll’s childhood inside the Osho Rajneesh cult—one of the most controversial spiritual movements of the 20th century. While in the commune, Sarito was submerged in a world where devotion and freedom clashed with manipulation, sexual misconduct, and neglect. This was the life she knew until the movement collapsed amid scandal and criminal charges in 1985, when sixteen-year-old Sarito was thrust into a society she knew little about.
Decades later, after battling shame, fear, and self-doubt, Sarito breaks her silence to expose the abuse, exploitation, and disillusionment she endured in the Rajneesh community. She stands up against this formidable spiritual institution that promised liberation while concealing dark secrets behind its facade of love and joy. With raw honesty and heart-wrenching clarity, she recounts her fight to reclaim her identity, confront the community’s betrayal, and heal on her own terms. It is a powerful story of survival, resilience, courage, and hard-won freedom.
In the Shadow of Enlightenment is a profoundly moving exposé about the hidden dangers lurking behind charismatic leaders and spiritual movements. It will inspire and challenge you to question where you place your trust.
Advance Praise
Sarito Carroll has done the world a great service with her gripping and heart-wrenching memoir of her life as a child in the Rajneesh cult. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (aka Osho) has remained a cherished “guru” for far too long. With this book, one giant part of the dark side of his beliefs and the environment he created is seeing the light of day. Sarito is bold and brave to share her story with us – and to reveal the unspeakable neglect and abuse of the children who had the misfortune of living in Rajneesh’s orbit. And she’s a damn good writer!
Janja Lalich, PhD
CEO, Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion
Available Editions
EDITION | Ebook |
ISBN | 9798991686600 |
PRICE | US$9.99 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
I paused all of my other reads as soon as I started reading this book.
Sarito Carroll survived the Rajneesh cult, and in this honest, reflective and engrossing memoir, she focuses on her years in the cult; how her foundation years outside of the cult were, her complicated relationship with her mother, the brief time in Hawaii, being one of the first 32 people to be accepted on the ashram in Pune, and what she suffered and witnessed in the cult from the age of 9 until 16, and the aftermath of the years in the cult. She talks about how she decided to tell the truth, raise awareness and hold her perpetrators accountable.
This is a book, despite its tragic material, which can be read in a couple of sittings because of Carroll’s writing.
She does not shy away from telling the sad but very real details.
I first encountered Bagwaan teachings in the form of a book when I was in my early 20s. It was a book about creativity that caught my attention, with its minimalistic cover, on the shelf of a trustworthy source (a respectable book store) of tasteful books from abroad. I soon myself digging for more of the same language - seemingly, the language of creativity and freedom. After reading more, and some observations in India, and a some research, I came to know that the writer I came to know was not the author of the books himself, but they were often edited from his ‘teachings’. A couple of points felt contradictory in the books, others repetitive, some helpful, mainly because the guru was inspired by some of the most influential philosophers, artists, and writers. Then, I learnt about the commune in Oregon and the terrifying experiences of the cult members. Carroll’s book is one of the most eye-opening. honest and detailed telling of the cult.
The book is a warning call about all past, present and future cults, mass cognitive dissonance, and the idolisation of others.
Part of me wanted to know what happened to all the children who were in the cult, and it hurts me that the perpetrators kept on living lives without being held accountable for their actions, bar the vague and diplomatic apologies. But it is at least something. I am glad to hear that the author is leading a meaningful life and is helping children.
The publication date: November 11, 2024
Nobody knows what hides behind closed doors of religious cults. Cheering masses on the streets welcoming their beloved leader in a shining Rolls-Royce, happy faces of hard-working people who want nothing to do with the outside world, and seemingly peaceful teachings —that's all can be a mirage. It took Sarito Carroll more than thirty years to find the courage to speak about sexual exploitation in Rajneeshpuram, a commune in Oregon, at the time when she was a teenager. What we would now call sexual abuse of a minor was considered a norm, her complaints dismissed, and the author had difficulty articulating what wrong had been done to her. During her seven-year stay in the commune, she felt faulty, worthless, undesirable; not that the world around her was in denial. The silence around the topic is still prevalent, with the current devotees of Osho admitting the flaws yet taking no responsibility for the actions of adult Rajneeshees in the 1970s-80s.
As of today, the Wikipedia article doesn't mention sexual exploitation and abuse of teens as the cause of any controversy around the international Osho movement. There is a brief mention of mothers abandoning their children in search of spiritual enlightening - the author saw children as small as four without parents - and forced sterilization to avoid pregnancies. I hope the situation will change after the publication of this book.
IN THE SHADOW OF ENLIGHTENMENT: A GIRL'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE OSHO RAJNEESH CULT is the author's rigorous exploration of her upbringing, not spiritual in any way. The author's openness and her ability to document the tiniest movements of her soul, every thought she had, masterfully convey the atmosphere of the Indian, and then Oregon communes. It's not a light read emotionally; yet, IN THE SHADOW OF ENLIGHTENMENT should be read and surveyed as a startling example of the hushed-up atrocities inside religious cults.
I received an advance review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
my Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6961460693
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