No. MSIA strongly holds that one's spiritual life is a private and personal choice. Whether one shares about it with others is also an individual choice. Of course, people are welcome to share about MSIA with others, but it is always a personal decision to do so or not.

Sure. MSIA is often called "the Movement," and people sometimes come and go because there is movement. Sometimes they come back and get involved again.

MSIA does not have any membership per se. The best way to get involved in MSIA is to subscribe to Soul Awareness Discourses. Discourses form the core teachings of MSIA. They can be read for the information or as a conscious process of study towards initiation in MSIA after two years of ongoing study. The Discourses are a requirement for participation in retreats and advanced classes sponsored by Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy.

John Morton and John-Roger are not gurus, so you can't have a guru/student relationship with either of them. They are wayshowers, and they point the way towards the Soul realm. You travel that path yourself; they do not do it for you. The relationship is not of this physical realm or level, and John Morton and John-Roger do not enter into your physical life or tell you what to do or not to do. They are there to point a way if you need to have a spiritual reference point. They are there to guide and assist you spiritually in developing a relationship with your inner self and with the Light and the Sound Current. Then, if you choose, you can use these to become more aware of God.

If you are a serious student of the inner teachings, we suggest that you choose one spiritual teacher to study with. It is fine to change your mind if what you are doing doesn't work for you; however, it is not recommended that you have two spiritual teachers. Why is this? If you try to work with two spiritual teachers, you will probably split your energy and not give yourself a fair chance, and you may even become very confused. In addition, you are not giving the spiritual teacher that will be working with you a fair chance of working with you. You have our blessing and best wishes on your spiritual path with whomever you chose to be involved with.

No. MSIA does not sell its mailing list, nor do we give out names and addresses of its students or those on its mailing lists. Requests to be taken off the MSIA mailing list are handled immediately. People who are actively studying in MSIA may occasionally receive mailings from other organizations founded by John-Roger, but no solicitations from any other sources. All MSIA's electronic mail subscriptions include clear instructions on how to cancel the service. Participation in MSIA is private, and we believe that every person's right to practice their faith is sacred and personal.

The core services of MSIA are the Traveler's teachings that are in the Soul Awareness Discourses and initiation into the Sound Current of God. With these two things, a person has all they need to practice Soul Transcendence as a means to fulfill their spiritual heritage. If a person cannot afford Discourses, they can make an arrangement with the MSIA office that is tailored to their financial situation. And there is no charge at all for initiation. The blessings are free.

All the rest of the services offered by MSIA are "gravy"--a blessing to many, many people, yet not essential for a person's path through the Mystical Traveler Consciousness. The money that is collected for Discourses and events goes to support the costs of running the Church, such as printing, shipping, property expenses, salaries, etc. MSIA is mostly a volunteer-run organization.

No. Some people define a cult as a group that tries to get you involved so that your life is under the authority of a central figure. This does not remotely describe the way that MSIA works. People are free to come and go in MSIA and to live their lives as they wish. We encourage people to test the teachings inside themselves and see if they work or not. No one involved with MSIA should "leave their brains at the door" when they participate, and one of MSIA's primary tenets is to use everything for your advancement, learning, and growth and to have the wit to drop that which does not work for you. The real teachings of MSIA take place inwardly, and the primary activities of MSIA are doing spiritual exercises and studying the Soul Awareness Discourses. These can take place if you are in Antarctica or in Los Angeles, and they are done at your own direction.

The idea of calling a spiritual group (or even a non-spiritual group) a "cult" has become very popular. One religious scholar said that a cult is a group that another group doesn't like. Most, if not all, religious faiths in the world--whether established for thousands of years or just started last week--have been called cults by someone at some point. This has been especially true for newer religious groups like MSIA, which fall under what scholars call "new religious movements." MSIA strongly supports the idea of religious freedom: people should have the right to practice their faith and beliefs as they see fit.

MSIA teaches to take care of yourself so you can take care of others and not to hurt yourself or others. If MSIA does not work for someone, we wish them the best on their spiritual path.

We think that's fine. All people who stop participating actively in MSIA are exercising their God-given freedom of choice and are likely to have other lessons to learn or karma to fulfill. MSIA offers loving support regardless of what people decide to do.

MSIA started in the late 1960's and was formally organized as a nondenominational church in 1971. Insight had its beginnings in late 1977 when John-Roger and Russell Bishop met and looked at the idea of an awareness seminar as a format to assist people to better handle and enjoy their lives. Insight was created in 1978 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting people in transforming themselves so that the greater transformation of the planet can take place.

In the early years of Insight, many MSIA students took Insight and were involved in the trainings. Eventually, the number of participants far exceeded the boundaries of those involved in MSIA. Over 1 million people around the world have attended Insight since it started, while MSIA's current active students number around 5,000 worldwide.

John-Roger has continued to be involved with Insight over the years as an educator. MSIA considers Insight's trainings, although more focused on the outer world, to be aligned with its teachings and the two jointly do events together on occasion, for example at MSIA's annual conference.

One meaning of ecumenical, and the way that MSIA uses the word, is "worldwide or universal in extent, influence, or application." Put another way, everyone on the planet is in his or her own movement of spiritual inner awareness, consciously or unconsciously. Each of us is a Soul, gaining experiences as we go home to God, and those in MSIA are consciously on the path of Soul Transcendence.

John-Roger has said this: "You can't pay for spiritual things; you don't have enough money. You are paying for material things. The Soul Awareness Discourses, MSIA tapes and books, etc., are physical things dealing with spiritual subjects. They only become spiritual when you get that information from them that spiritualizes you. The people who print our books and Discourses, the people we buy the blank tapes from--they are not giving these things to us for free. We have to pay for them. You can't possibly buy the information in them, but it's yours to use. It's free to you because I give it to you freely."

We always recommend that you check things out and go by your own experience to see if the teachings work for you. Look at your life, both inner and outer, and see if you are feeling better, thinking more clearly, being more loving, and so on. You may also experience a greater awareness of the Divine in yourself and all of life.

John-Roger has said that "the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness isn't one of those groups that says, 'We're it, and you're not,' for the simple reason that we say it's a movement, not something that is stable. And if it's moving, that means you have to stay on your toes or you'll trip and fall. And so we want to give up anything that isn't working.

"There is only 'one way,' and that is the way that works. And when it works, that's your way. If it doesn't work for you, then, by definition, that's not the way for you. Can that way by any group? Yes, if that group works for you.

 "So when you study in MSIA, find out what's going on. Work it. Take the part that works for you and let the rest go. You're free to do what you want. Why? Because that's what you're going to do anyway. You'll do what works. And when something no longer works for you, move to what does work for you. You just keep going higher and higher.

 "Don't believe. Don't be a fool. Why believe prior to your experience? Live your life based on your experience. That is the action of the Christ. It brings an experience: transformation, rejuvenation, resurrection. In MSIA, we call it awakening."

The Christ Consciousness is the spiritual line of energy undergirding MSIA. At the same time, MSIA has no argument with any other religious or spiritual tradition. There are people in MSIA from all backgrounds and traditions--from Judaism to Bahaism.

MSIA and the Traveler teach unconditional loving. Within that, there is acceptance for all spiritual paths and expressions. We teach that each person is going through the experiences that he or she needs in order to grow and to complete karma in this lifetime. There is also the potential for each of us to move into the Soul, into that which we truly are, and to live life from that level in joy and fullness.

Another thing MSIA teaches is checking things out. That means to be open to ideas and processes and to see which ones work for you. Sometimes this means looking behind the labels that might be placed on something and seeing what is applicable to your life and what brings you more upliftment.

No. MSIA doesn't interfere in people's lives. The MSIA teachings are inner and are not about trying to enforce any outer behavior. People involved with MSIA live their own lives, and what they do in their personal lives is their business.