You Probably Don't Know You're in a Cult

The joy of acceptance. That's after years of insecurities about belonging, or even deserving to take in oxygen on planet earth. And, that's what I found drives human beings to wind up in cults. The odds are that they don't even know they're being controlled, exploited and with no easy exit - Those represent the essence of cult dynamics. 

The extremes are the Charles Manson or Jim Jones kind of hold on people. More common is the cult-like. For example, the splendid institution of Big Law. 

The routine work, never mind what it takes to get ahead, is so demanding of time and thought that the only way to remain a member in good standing is to do a total buy-in. Yes, the dynamic is a type of brainwashing that this is such a desirable pursuit. Who wouldn't want to be let in!

Dissent can get you shunned. Don't question. Fit in perfectly. Otherwise, the power structure won't assign work. If that comes into play you will suffer extreme mental torment.

There's also all that free food, sometimes the law firm providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's part of keeping members separate from the outside. Yes, isolated. There's no perspective triggered by getting out of the building and mixing with other versions of realities on the streets of Manhattan or London. 

Given the prestige, high compensation and resume credential, it's soul-wrenching to even consider leaving. Smirk. Usually, most, after being burnt out, are excommunicated. The shame, I have witnessed, is profound. Some become suicidal. So, you bet, the ethos tends to be fear-based. You don't want to be the one driven from what has been positioned and packaged as professional paradise. 

That doesn't only apply to associates, the lowest on the ladder. Equity partners could also be banished if they're not contributing to the collective good. That's called "de-equitization." On Reddit there are sentiments like: feeling sorry for partners and even the leadership. They seem to have no way out. Along the way they bought into all-work. No hobbies. Low involvement with family. And there's financial lifestyle creep. 

Of course, it all starts with love-bombing. New members are wooed with praise that they are among the best and the brightest. Summer interns while still in law school are wined and dined. Cravath seems to be the exception, supposedly working those summer associates like dogs. 

So, what to do if you have that Ah-Ha moment of clarity: This is pretty close to a cult. 

Plan your exit as carefully as you would handling a street thug. That protects your future. It's dangerous to be direct. That can be experienced as challenging leadership. As the growing number of lawsuits against large law firms could indicate, such a move can invite retaliation. Way back when Aaron Charney took that bold litigation step. There was a settlement. But, emotionally he went through the wringer. 

Since we humans hunger to belong, it's all too easy to become embedded in a cult. Oh, they are so welcoming. Given their talent for sizing up those with insecurities, they are all-too-aware of what we need. It's usually when they put the muscle on for money that we begin to wonder what we got ourselves into. 

So, like I warned, use strategy to engineer a safe exit. The situation is risky. That's symbolized by the first card in the tarot.

Path to success, your tribe and peace is inside job.

Let’s start the journey together with a Tarot reading.

One free question.

Jane Genova, 3^rd Generation Psychic 203-468-8579, jangenova374@gmail.com