I recently had the distinct displeasure of interviewing a cult leader — Here is a snapshot of the published article:
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I sit opposite Mr D. Ellis, by most metrics he appears unassuming, soft even. He wears a white cotton button-down shirt underneath a beige argyle vest, on his nose rests a pair of discrete metal-frame glasses, they give him an almost bookish quality. There is a half-attempt to style his remaining hair, slicked backwards behind his ears. The hairline has long receded, exposing a smooth and unwrinkled forehead. The wiry pencil moustache that sits above his downturned upper lip is, perhaps, the only distinct expression of identity that Mr Ellis possesses. This presentation stands in stark contrast to the crimes of which he is accused.
Ellis is better known to the general public by his username, from the social-platform chatVirtual and online forum AnonBoard, Godhead.
His demeanour suggests an indifference to my visit. To him, I suppose I’m picking at the bones, another scavenger looking for headline fodder. But I truly am intrigued. How does grey Mr D. Ellis become a spiritual leader for thousands of disillusioned men and women around the world? Where does Mr Ellis stop and Godhead begin?
Taking my pen from the inside pocket of my jacket, I click it once to say, let’s begin.
“I’d like to start from the beginning, is that okay?” I place a tape recorder on the table, another gesture of my intent.
He speaks. “Sure, why not. How far back would you like to go?”
D. Ellis was born, a month and a half premature, in Buntonbury on the Water. By his own account, his childhood was uneventful. He grew up playing in nature. He attended a local primary and then secondary school. He had friends, some that he liked more than others. His parents were loving but busy. As he grew into his teenage years, he quickly realised his physique was best suited to activities of the intellectual variety. He took an interest in maths, philosophy and computer science, and at the age of 18, left home to go to university.
I wonder “Did you ever find any of it dull?”
He curls the fingers in his left hand and places the index against his cheekbone, then furrows his brow in recollection. “If it were dull, I don’t think I’d ever’ve realised. It was all I ever had.”
Leaving Buntonbury, Ellis studied Computer Science and Philosophy at Illcester. It was there that he first read Timothy Leary and Eight-circuit model of consciousness, John C. Lilly’s Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer.
“Did you find it easier to think of the human brain in terms of computers?” I say.
“The brain is a computer” he responds, without a hint of self-doubt.
Inspired by his academic heroes, he began to experiment with psychedelics, eventually dropping out of his studies and pursuing an alternative lifestyle full-time. When he describes these years, the edges of his thin moustache creep upward ever so slightly, his lips forming a suggestion of a smile. I’m intrigued. “Was that a period of time you are particularly fond of?”
“Oh, yes. I learned a lot about myself, what I was capable of. But, I also learned about people. How they are. How they behave. And all of this, of course” He gestures around, and somehow beyond, the room in which we are sitting.
For nearly one hour, Ellis has been describing his youth as if it were an object, quite some distance away, and he was struggling to get a hold of it. He is now present. I’m seeing more of the character I’ve heard about. I do not want to waste the moment.
“Okay then, David. How do we get from tuned-in Illcester student to dropped-out spiritual leader, Godhead?”
For a second, I worry I’ve pushed too much, too soon — patience and flattery are essential when talking to personalities like Ellis. He turns his face downwards and his hands fall to rest on the table between us. After a pause, he brings his head back up to me. No more soft gaze. His eyes are trained on mine. He is in complete focus.
“I’m afraid I must answer your question with another.” He pauses, waiting for my consent and I nod. “What would you say to me, if I told you that where we are, here, is an illusion? That, You and I, we were never really Here, to begin with.”
There is something rather trustworthy and safe in his lack of charisma. He speaks with great certainty and authority, and in a calm, deliberate manner. He slows the conversation back down, and we jump back and forth between his biography and his theories of the world. The nature of our holographic universe, his mother’s funeral, the many layers of our reality, and how through the mindful use of psychedelics and strict meditation, one might take a peek at what lies beyond. Of course, he is in control of these conversations, steering our dialogue left and right whenever it suits him.
Then, without warning, he leans closer. A sharp note now dominates his previously scholarly inflexion. “Shall I tell you what I did to them?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Very well” he replies and manages to bring himself even closer, our cheeks parallel, almost touching. “Why, nothing at all.”
He slides back in his chair and smoothes out a wrinkle in his shirt. His upper lip making the hint of a smile.
“I simply showed them the truth. Then, when it was forcibly taken from them, I showed them how they could get back to the truth, for ever.”
Vaguely, and for the first time in our conversation, Mr David Ellis has acknowledged the ongoing case in which he is embroiled. He has been described by some as the metaverse’s Manson, a 21st-century fusion of Hubbard and Jones. I ask him what he thinks of these comparisons
“Ludicrous, of course. Undressed, those men were simply charlatans, twisting reality to corrupt the minds of the vulnerable. Binding and poisoning their flock when they felt their slackening grasp. My mission has always been to free, to enlighten.”
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He has spoken of freedom and enlightenment throughout our conversation, of transcendence. But in our world at least, he is a dangerous cult leader. Under the guise of offering a path to spiritual enlightenment, Mr Ellis, AKA Godhead, lured thousands of individuals into a virtual world where they were subjected to a variety of mind-altering techniques, including the use of psychedelic drugs.
The cult, which operated primarily on the VR hangout ‘chatVirtual’, promised its members access to a higher plane of existence, but in reality, it was a tool for Mr Ellis to exert a dangerous level of control over his followers.
Many members became dependent on the virtual world, withdrawing from their real lives and neglecting their physical and mental health.
Ellis’ virtual world became a place of escape for many of its users, a place of solace from the reality of their lives. They were drawn in by its promise of limitless possibilities, of a new and exciting world far from their own. They were captivated by Ellis and his promise of an existence free from suffering and pain. Many of the users became dependent on this virtual world, shuttering themselves away from their real lives and neglecting their needs. As their physical health deteriorated, their mental health began to decline as well. When authorities began to intervene, Ellis explained to his followers that there was only one way to remain in the higher plane without interference.
Soon, the authorities began to find bodies, lifeless and connected to VR systems — some emaciated to the point of skeletal remains due to starvation, others wizened and mummified from dehydration, and still others with bloated faces and bulging eyes, the result of exhaustion. All of the bodies were found connected to VR systems, their hands still clutching the controllers, desperate to continue.
Ellis had encouraged his followers to take their own lives, telling them that it was the only way to stay in the virtual world. In only a matter of weeks, hundreds of people had been seduced into sacrificing their lives for a false promise of eternal escape, their lives taken by their own hands at the behest of their leader.
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I try to express some of this to him, however, before I can speak I am interrupted. Mr Ellis wishes to continue his monologue.
“Some people are incapable of comprehending. They are too subscribed to their inconsequential reality, willingly blinkered, with no desire to look beyond.” He gestures around the room again. “I find it sad, in fact, I struggle to understand these people at all. I can’t imagine being so tied to such a piteous fiction.” He spits out the last two words like rotten fruit. It is perhaps the most I have seen him emote within the two hours we’ve spent together.
“But you chose to remain here, in this ‘piteous fiction’. You abandoned your flock.”
He looks across the table, and quotes, now with the voice of a preacher, some old poem. “‘Let not the shepherd too closely cling, to one lamb fair, for spring doth bring, a new flock to tend and care.’”
“You think you’re so smart,” I say, regretting it almost immediately.
I had slowly been trying to pry him open, and now, as my finger slips, he snaps shut.
Resigning, lounging against the crest of his plastic chair. He flattens another crease from his shirt, asking if I’d like to talk about something else, but I have heard enough.
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Mr D Ellis is inexplicably out on bail and awaiting trial for his role as the leader of the dangerous virtual reality cult known as “The Eighth Circuit”, in spite of the overwhelming evidence against him, including testimony from former members.
The case against Mr Ellis has brought to light the dangers of unregulated virtual reality software and technology and the potential for abuse by those in positions of power. The company behind the VR technology ‘Journey’ and the software ‘chatVirtual’ used by the cult, has issued a statement expressing their concern over the event and their commitment to creating a safe and responsible virtual reality experience for every user. They have taken steps to review and improve their security measures to ensure that ‘Journey’ and ‘chatVirtual’ can only be used for their intended purpose.
While the victims of The Eighth Circuit, many of whom have suffered irreparable harm, are still struggling to come to terms with their experiences and the betrayal of trust, the legal proceedings against Mr Ellis and his associates continue.
Article by: Emmet Morris
17 December 2022 — 5:00 pm GMT
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Comments:
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TrueEnglish88 - 12/17/22:
289 Thumbs Up
··· Bring back the rope!! 💀
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Fuzzy_Unicorn - 12/17/22:
32 Thumbs Up
··· #FREEGODHEAD
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Spartacus33 - 12/17/22:
183 Thumbs Up
··· This article brings back a lot of painful memories, I was raised in a cult. I hope justice is served for the harm that was inflicted on so many.
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TamaraGotchi - 12/17/22:
202 Thumbs Up
··· 😩😩😩 Spartacus!!! babe!!! I’m so sorry to hear that!!! 🤔 Was it a sexy murder cult or just one of the BORING ones with no phones and weird clothes?? 👼
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TJThompson - 12/17/22:
145 Thumbs Up
··· This just goes to show the dangers of blindly following anyone, no matter how informed they seem, or convincing they may be. RIP to the victims of this cult and their families.
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Mr_Toad - 12/17/22:
32 Thumbs Up
··· I bought my kids Journey’s for Christmas - Straight in the trash. Anyone got any last minute gift suggestions?
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BAEvidEllis - 12/17/22:
10 Thumbs Up
··· You guys just haven’t seen it. Do your own research. Stay informed.
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JamesTownMassiveSound - 12/17/22:
34 Thumbs Up
··· OH MY GOD. I read about this ages ago, here, on AnonBoard lol. I can’t believe its fucking real. absoloutely insane!!!!
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YOUCANTBANMEIJUSTMAKEANEWACC - 12/17/22:
22 Thumbs Up
··· This comment was removed by moderators for violating our hate speech policy.
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FBoredA - 12/17/22:
15 Thumbs Up
··· I just want to say that your writing has gotten sooo much better over the years. But**,** you still write way too much about peoples shirts.
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BigAubergines - 12/18/22:
12 Thumbs Up
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EigthDicsiple - 12/18/22:
7 Thumbs Up
··· he gave me a sense of purpose that I never had ever. you all took him a way from me 😩 my cat girl jesus RIP
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JaneMartha69 - 12/18/22:
0 Thumbs Up
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