She lived for some time with Sue Young in Tiburon where she was progressively indoctrinated. She had gone to to New York, at Rama expense for a week, where she stayed with Lenz, for induction into the group. On her return to the west coast she then told her parents she was severing relationship with them, and with her fiance, Eric. Eric convinced her to come home for one last "goodbye weekend". He arranged for a counselor to talk to her that weekend where she was successfully counselled. She then spent a week at Wellspring in Ohio.
This is some of the information she provided when interviewed:
Dogs - Lenz has three dogs, a black scottie and two "wheaton" scotties (Wheaten terriers?) Lenz told C. that the black Scotty, Vishnu, was an enlightened dog, that he advises him. He is very devoted to his dogs. Christie thinks that if something happened to the dogs it would really devastate Lenz. (Said several times we ought to think about what we could do to the dogs that would upset him!) Eric suggested cutting their hair off or tar and feathering them. Lenz send out to the delicatessen in Stony Brook for food for the dogs. She said all the followers she met had dogs also.
She spent a week with Lenz at his home. They had "an intimate relationship". She did not attend any group meetings so couldn't tell much about that. Lenz does not cook at home, does not have anyone other than a maid to come in once a week. He did have some students come in from time to time to clean his house - to, for example, learn the "zen" of cleaning the toilet bowl. No security people or servants in the house. They ate in the local area, Italian restaurant in Stony Brook, some nice places, some ordinary. She says that Lenz does not eat a very good diet. He drinks a tremendous amount of coffee (caffeine shot), eats "Sun Chips" and Yoplait yogurt. Has juice and junk food for breakfast and lunch. Eats out in the evenings.
She went a number of places with Lenz. I specifically asked if he paid cash for everything and she said he did. He bought her some expensive clothes and paid cash for those also. He has "tons" of blisses in his house. He talked a lot about cars and music, said he likes cars, dogs and plays music most of the time especially the Zazen music.....she thinks they are professional musicians who are in the cult. They watched lots of rented movies and went out to movies. She said he particularly likes Arnold Swarznegger movies and movies with violence in them. Some of the movies he particularly liked are "The Hitcher", "Exorcist III", "Deep Blue", the "Predator" and "Drop Dead, Fred". (He said that is what he is like, the last one). He said that those movies are what the world is like - violent and apocalyptic.
He still recommends Carlos Castenada and Steven King. He said Carlos Castenada's books are "a guide for living." He also liked books by Clyde Barker, the "Imagica" (sp?) in particular. He is not worried about environmental concerns. Says his followers will not even be on this planet in our next lives but will be reincarnates on a higher level, that this is almost a purgatory planet.
She says Fred is a "fashion hound", wears trendy clothes, and thinks women should too. Doesn't like Calvin Klein, but likes Armani. He thinks all women should look like Lynda Hamilton, with muscles, or like Pauline of Este Lauder. Mentioned a few more on cover of magazines he likes..can't recall all the names.
We talked about family and she said Fred told her, "No one ever loved me like my mom."
There are some eight Lenz followers in Tiburon where Sue Young lived. Sue Young is 28, does contract programing for the Wells Fargo Bank. C. helped add figures for her tax return. Made $220,000 last year, and knows she paid Lenz $100,000. Can't remember how it was shown, or if it all was shown on the section of the return she saw, but is going to think about it. Christie met a few members, but spent most of the time with Sue Young. The women in the San Francisco Area call themselves "The Bitches", and that is a complimentary term to them. Women should be icy cold and unfeeling. She does think that some of them have some feelings. Sue Young calls her family on Christmas and on their birthdays. She said Frances Wang and Sue were lovers for some time. No one asked C. for any money. She sat next to Lenz at the L.A. dinner, and this was a "place of honor" before she went to N. Y. with him. Said she was told Lenz was thinking he would like to have her be his next mistress. Christie is about twenty two.
She knew about the intense recruiting in SF Bay area. Said Lenz told his followers they had to get ten new "apprentices" in the next six months. She knew Sue had two beside her. In addition to advertising in "Heart Dance" and putting up posters at Berkley (which Christie helped to do) they advertised in the "Learning Annex", a paper which advertises alternative and non-credit college courses.
About the followers she met, she said they all had the same kind of refrigerator, things on shelves and in closets lined up the same way, and very neat; all had everything highly organized. She agreed that they all had little furniture, although she said Sue Young had just ordered new living room furniture, did still slept on a futon; felt, however, Sue's income was far more than the average cult member. She said the people she talked to all talked alike - they used the same phrases and vocabulary that Lenz uses. Eric said one of the things that alarmed him was he heard C. on the phone say exactly what Sue had said in his presence using the exact same wording. He was obviously very perceptive.
None of them use regular dishes. They eat out of plastic dishes, using plastic forks and knives and then throw them away. She thinks this is so they don't have to combat negative energy that could be on dishes!
On her recruitment by Sue Young she said that Sue originally told her that she was so glad she had found a boyfriend like Eric, that he was good for her, and so on. Then, when she had gained her confidence with flattery, she met Eric, then told her that Eric was "dark and sinister"... bad for her. She also said she told her she could see her energy, but she could also see the cancer that she had in her which would come out in two to three years if she didn't join the group. It was a gradual, step by step, process.
Eric's father is a psychiatrist on the east coast and his stepmother is a social worker. He was in regular touch with C. and realized when she called to break-up with him that he had to get her home immediately or she would go to the next Monday night's indoctrination meeting and that would be it. He already had some knowledge about cults and knew just who to call. Spent a week on the phone finding out all he could about Rama and what to do about combating the affect they were having on C. He said looking back he could see that each step of her recruitment hinged on successfully completing the previous step. It was carefully planned by Sue and that she had been very well coached.
Rama complained long and bitterly to C. about the parents' group - the fathers and the "Rama Mamas". We were bad entities intent on his death and stealing his energy. She was quite emphatic about the complaining and fear he seemed to have about us, that we were everywhere and had people watching him all the time, including lots of spies. She said he went into this over and over again as if it was his biggest concern.
Reconstructing the times which Christie gave for meetings in Los Angeles, and dates we know Lenz has conducted meetings in New York, it appears that he has meetings in NY area on the 1st Monday of the month and in LA on the 3rd Monday of the month. That may help in pinning down his movements.
Christie did attend one meeting in Los Angeles at the Four Seasons hotel. There were about fifty people in attendance, only two of them men. Some of the women, including herself and Sue Young, had flown down from San Francisco. It was a formal, "dress-up" affair. To obtain a dress she used her fiance's credit card at Nordstrom, then returned the dress (banking on Nordstrom's no-questions-asked return policy). At the meeting there was only one vacant chair, next to Lenz, so she was given this "seat of honor" so that Lenz could focus his attention on her and help to clinch her recruitment.