Desperately Seeking Soulmate Escaping Twin Flames Universe is a three-part Prime Video documentary series released on October 6, 2023. It is directed by Marina Zenovich and produced by Julia Nottingham, Sam Starbuck, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Jordan Edelstein, P.G. Morgan, Marina Zenovich, Alice Hines, Hattie Bridges-Webb. It was produced by Dorothy Street Pictures in association with MGM Television, Escape Artists and PMZ Pictures.
The docu-series features journalist Alice Hines on whose Vanity Fair article the show is based and former members and acquaintances of the Twin Flames Universe group including Arcelia, Carly, Eric Rogers, Ellen Hibdon, Angela Simpson, Catrina, Anne, Lynn, Lisa, Cheryl, Marie-Sophie, Kay, Jules Gill Peterson, Michelle Allard, William Plante and others.
Desperately Seeking Soulmate Escaping Twin Flames Universe Review
When Vanity Fair journalist Alice Hines was looking for a new story in nooks and corners of the internet, she didn’t expect to come across a literal virtual cult that promises to help you find your twin flame. And if you ask what exactly is a twin flame then a simple Google search describes it – an intense soul connection between two people thought to be each other’s half. Going a step further, if you search Twin Flames Universe then the first result is a website run by Jeff and Shaleia, illuminating the path home to eternal love.
Jeff and Shaleia are the nucleus centre of it all – the founders of the community, who want to help others find their divine partner as they did. Childhood friends of the couple describe them as ordinary young people with a likeable personality who wouldn’t take advantage of other people for their personal gain. But they certainly seemed to have changed since meeting each other in Hawaii. They have now transformed into life coaches who claim to have a direct connection with God or the higher being, so much so that even Jeff hints at himself as the new-age-incarnation of Jesus.
But who would fall for this? The number is much bigger than one could have imagined. The former members of the group shared how they came across Jeff and Shaleia through their YouTube videos and something struck a chord. Almost all the former members were at a point in their lives feeling lost, lonely or believing that they didn’t belong anywhere. Then they come across the Twin Flames Universe community on Facebook and it gives them a sense of belonging, purpose and a welcoming environment to share the burdens of their lives.
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What’s really striking about the community is that it’s completely online and all the members meet each other over video chats. And it’s not a post-pandemic thing but has been going on since 2016 or even before. At first, the members feel understood and indulge themselves in spiritual practices to make themselves better, as the love will come around eventually. But everything comes with a cost. To truly indulge oneself, they had to pay for regular ascension classes, where Jeff and Shaleia imparted the ‘juicy knowledge’ as they like to call it. And the cheapest would start from $100.
What they really did in these classes was to pick apart their member’s traumatic experiences in the pretence of helping/healing them and encouraging them to chase after the love of their lives, even if it meant stalking, getting a restraining order in return or being sent to jail. One of the group sessions shows a member telling the duo how they were upset that their twin flame had a baby with their respective girlfriend of fourteen years.
I mean how delusional does the person have to be, to still think that a person in a committed relationship of 14 years should be with them instead? The Guru duo rather consoles her, telling her to become his best friend and tell him to have the next baby with her because the person thinks they are ‘twin flames’ and meant to be together by god.
As the documentary progresses, you get to know a lot more wacky stories from former members where you would seriously want to shake off these people getting manipulated and ask them to touch the grass. When the increasing members of the group weren’t getting successful in strapping down their twin flames, Jeff and Shaleia came up with the idea to start matchmaking within the community. They would even pair up the same sexes and call one the divine masculine, and the other the divine feminine, regardless of whether they were queer or not. The one playing the masculine role in the relationship is often pressured to take up a male name and even change their appearance to fit the role.
Such exposing documentaries are usually made when the notorious groups have been dissolved. However, the Twin Flames Universe continue to thrive with ten thousands of followers and more joining. Throughout the documentary, you notice that it’s only Jeff that’s always talking in group sessions, videos and even interviews. Shaleia would sit there looking at a camera, smiling continuously and chuckling at awkward silences or anything wacky that her ‘man’ says.
It makes you wonder if she is being manipulated into this as well but even her father comments that she is definitely an equal partner in crime if not the mastermind. Although Jeff and Shaleia’s current whereabouts weren’t revealed in the series, at present, both are seemingly busy being new parents and expanding their business to new levels.
Meanwhile, new people are joining the community every day and imparting their manipulative and dangerous teachings to hundreds of others. Hopefully, this documentary could be a wake-up call for them and realise the gravity of what they are getting themselves into. Before blindly following any such online spiritual coaches one should really question – why should I believe this person who claims to be Jesus but practices Hinduism rituals to heal others.
Rating: 4/5
Desperately Seeking Soulmate Escaping Twin Flames Universe is available for streaming on Prime Video.
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