A Sinister Spiritual Journey
Agnes Arabela Marques, now recounting her haunting experience, was just 15 when she encountered the leader of a controversial yoga sect, Gregorian Bivolaru. Initially, he appeared benevolent, a revered 71-year-old guru whose calm voice belied darker intentions.
From Respect to Exploitation
Marques, sharing her harrowing story, unveils the sinister transformation she underwent under Bivolaru’s influence. The guru coerced her into performing explicit acts, marking the initiation into what he presented as tantric yoga.
As the tentacles of the sect tightened, Marques found herself among 300 women participating in a shocking beauty pageant, a far cry from the spirituality she initially sought.
MISA: A Cult’s Decades-Long Reign
Bivolaru’s Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA) ran a terrorizing regime for nearly two decades, exploiting women in overcrowded safehouses across Europe.
Former members describe deplorable conditions, hypnotism, orgies, and even consumption of the guru’s urine. The sect, operating in over 30 countries, became infamous for its bizarre rituals and exploitative practices.
Twisted Tantric Teachings
The MISA school taught a distorted form of tantric yoga, using ancient Hindu philosophy as a guise for sexual manipulation.
Marques, like many others, fell prey to Bivolaru’s teachings, believing that engaging in explicit acts with the guru was a divine consecration. The twisted myth of achieving spiritual heights through sex with virgin girls fueled the guru’s insidious practices.
The French Intervention
After years of scrutiny, French authorities finally moved to arrest Bivolaru in Paris, where more than 50 women were found in deplorable conditions.
The cult’s initiation rituals involved pornography, hypnosis, and orgies. Bivolaru’s home yielded a stash of cash, pornography, and fake identity documents, underscoring the scale of his operation.
A Leader on the Run
Bivolaru, facing allegations of rape, exploitation, kidnapping, and people trafficking, had eluded authorities for six years.
Fleeing Romania in 2004, he obtained asylum in Sweden, then faced legal trouble in 2016 in France. Despite arrests and convictions, he continued his activities until the recent Parisian crackdown.
Echoes of Abuse
A French human rights group has gathered statements from 12 former followers, alleging abuse within MISA. Authorities describe the group as using mental manipulation to condition victims into accepting sexual relations.
MISA denies any wrongdoing, claiming Bivolaru hasn’t taught yoga since 1995, yet the allegations persist, unraveling the dark secrets of this purported spiritual movement.
