True Crime-Paranormal-Conspiracy Theories Stories Part V #Wattys2023

Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness: John-Roger Hinkins

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

History and teachings

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

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

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

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

Founder

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

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

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