Cult Capitalism (Because Enlightenment Ain't Free)
Chapter 62 of Neophyte: My Life In A Sex Cult
This is a chapter within my memoir, Neophyte, about my time in a harmful cult called the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society. It is not meant to be read as a stand-alone post. To view all book chapters, click here.
The Deer Tribe is a dangerous cult. While they present themselves as a spiritual community offering healing and empowerment, their practices are rooted in manipulation, control, and cultural appropriation. Like many cults, they offer moments of genuine connection and personal insight — but these are strategically used to gain trust and draw people deeper into a harmful system. Readers are encouraged to read the entire book before forming opinions about the Deer Tribe.
Chapter 62
One day, I decided to tally up how much I had spent in the Deer Tribe over the past nine years. When I factored in all my travel expenses, I was stunned to realize I had spent over $60,000 dollars.
That was truly depressing. I could have paid off my student loans. I could have traveled. I could have put a down payment on a house. That number didn’t even account for other costs, like taking a lower salary so I could have more time off for “ceremonies,” or the work exchanges I did for teachings. The true cost was so much higher.
And I hadn’t even made it through the third gateway. I could only imagine how much it would cost to get through the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth gateways. Probably hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It broke my heart to realize how much free labor I had provided the Quodoushka instructors as a neophyte. They made thousands of dollars from those workshops while the unpaid neophytes and logistics staff cooked the meals, cleaned the toilets, did the demos, set up the room, recruited the participants, and handled the waivers. I had even sold Necea’s products and programs during breaks.
Here was yet another black mark against the Deer Tribe. No one is told how much money, time, or energy they will need to spend when they’re signing up for the Path.
But that wasn’t all. Why did we have to pay a “qualified” Deer Tribe leader for our gateway ceremonies? It made no sense. Many of these ceremonies we did alone out in nature, but they only “counted” if an upper gateway apprentice with the proper rank and mantles sat at base camp with their pipe open to “monitor” us.
I recalled a conversation I had years ago with Walter LeVay. He was preparing for his Night of the Snake ceremony, an upper gateway ceremony that only Johanne Nightbird could monitor. He asked me to use NLP and hypnosis on him to help clear his “blocks” to manifesting the money he needed to pay her. I couldn’t remember the exact sum, but it was something like $2,500.
“The Deer Tribe is a pyramid scheme,” I told June one day.
“It’s totally a pyramid scheme!” she exclaimed. “It’s sad. And incredibly offensive considering how much cultural appropriation they do. In all the years I lived traditionally with my people, I never once paid for a SunDance or a healing.”
All the red flags and warning bells I had quietly ignored over the years came flooding back into my mind. I recalled things that had unsettled me at my first SunDance, things I had eventually come to accept. Why did Annika West and Joanne Nightbird leave SunDance with a whole lot of money? They were the ones who received all the cash and gift cards that every SunDancer was required to give them. Then there were Linda Clarke and Catrina Novak, who, along with Joanne, rarely worked during SunDance because they were always in “meetings” or doing counseling sessions, Book of Life readings, or APA readings, all of which they charged for.
Why did they get trailers and cabins, air conditioning, and toilets while the rest of us had to work in the hot sun all day and use gross porta potties? It was a clear hierarchy. A covert way to show us regular folks that they were “better” and “more important” and so much “more valuable” than the rest of us.
Susan Parker always brought her Sweet Medicine Shoppe to SunDance land. For years, Matthew and I had arrived three days early to help her set up the shop. For some reason, he wanted to do it, and I wanted to be with Matthew. But now it struck me as odd that Susan got to run her business during SunDance and use SunDance participants as unpaid employees as part of their “SunDance duties.” Matthew and I even paid her to feed us during those days we worked for free.
Another memory came to mind. Each year at SunDance, a Southwest Nation family always showed up on the last day. The matriarch was an elderly grandmother named Sue Collins, said to be the widow of one of Swift Deer’s teachers. Before the dance ended, Johanne Nightbird and Annika escorted Sue around the arbor so she could thank every Sundancer for their giveaway.
“It’s just for show,” June explained. “Sue’s tribe doesn’t even SunDance. Sue’s late husband White Elk wasn’t SwiftDeer’s teacher. But for years, SwiftDeer lied and said he studied with White Elk.”
“So why does she come?” I asked.
“Because the Deer Tribe helps them financially. Sue’s family lives on an impoverished reservation. Showing up for SunDance and ‘blessing’ the ceremony is the price for that support.”
The pattern was undeniable. The Deer Tribe wasn’t a spiritual path—it was a calculated system of indoctrination and grooming, hidden behind a facade of love and light.
Go to Chapter 63.