Wild Wild Country, Netflix’s richly detailed docuseries on the rise and fall of the Rajneeshee movement, has introduced a new generation to one of the most notorious cult movements in American history.
For one woman, it also explained a lot about why her parents danced in public, were nuts about meditation, and kept photos of leader Bhaghwan Shree Rajneesh strewn about their New York City home.
Speaking to The Cut, Jenna – who did not want to use her family name – said that it was only after Wild Wild Country premiered that she realised her parents’ Rajneeshee leanings were considered cult-like.
Describing her assumption that her parents were plain odd, Jenna said “I figured they’d gone on a long yoga retreat, or something.” But things changed thanks to some water-cooler conversations about the new series.
“I didn’t care, but then this girl used the word “cult” followed by “Rajneesh” and I was like, ‘Oh, I know of Rajneesh! That wasn’t a cult,’” Jenna said.
“She gave me this look like I had just told her I thought Santa was real. Then I was like: ‘Oh, fuck. I need to do some research. Now it looks like I’m brainwashed.’”
It turns out that was the first time she’d heard of the movement referred to as the c-word, and she wasted no time pressing her parents about it. Her father didn’t directly address the issue, but Jenna said her mum “shrugged, as if it were the first time she’d thought about it, and replied, ‘Yeah. I guess it was a cult.’”
The native Manhattanite said her parents met at a New York City Rajneeshee event, and eventually spent time together at the group’s legendary Oregon compound – but left when the group became militarised and started poisoning salad bars.
Despite the criminal legacy outlined in the series, Jenna said her parents managed to extract some positive life lessons out of the movement. Still, imagine discovering your parents met in a cult thanks to Netflix.
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