Rael’s Mediums: Telepathic or Psychotic?

Meme credits: @raelquotes

Belief in telepathy is one of the main tenets of Raelism. It is believed that it was through telepathy that extraterrestrials, known to the Raelians as the Elohim, made Rael buy a copy of the Bible, just days before being made to go to the place where he would meet one of them face-to-face over six days for an hour each time at the end of 1973 (Intelligent Design, p. 7).

The ET, alleged to be Yahweh of the Bible, explained to Rael how all humans have an inherent ability to communicate telepathically: the brain being a transmitter of accurate waves and thoughts with our bodily hair acting as its antenna, citing the story of Samson who had lost his ability to communicate with Yahweh once his hair was cut. Therefore, the point about not shaving off any hair is very important to Raelians. (pp. 35-36). This explains why Raelians tend to fall for such pseudoscience and grow out their hair.

Rael also claims how Yahweh used telepathy to make him give his son a specific name (p. 94). At the end of Rael's alleged meeting, Yahweh shares something instructive:

"You know the truth, and we will stay in contact with you by telepathy to give you confidence and additional information if we think necessary." (p. 101)

About two years later, in 1975, Rael claims that he was taken to the Planet of Eternal Life, that is supposedly about 1-light year away on board one of their spacecrafts. While on their planet, Yahweh allegedly used a machine to awaken certain faculties that lay dormant in Rael's brain so as to be able to exploit its full potential (p. 171).

Yahweh then advises people to meditate to "open one's mind" and try and communicate with the Elohim while trying to be "in harmony with the infinite". Yahweh then mentions mediums:

"Mediums are useful, so seek them out. But balance them because their gifts as mediums - which are only gifts of telepathy - unbalance them, and they begin to believe in magic, the supernatural, and other incredibly stupid things, including an ethereal body, which is a new way of trying to believe in the soul which does not exist. In fact, what they are actually doing is tuning into people who lived several centuries ago, and whom we have recreated on this paradisiacal planet." (p. 172)

Rael's second book contains directives known as the "Keys" that would help people open their minds. In the chapter titled "The Human Brain", Rael goes back into explaining telepathy and the usefulness of meditation:

"We still have a long way to go in fully understanding the potential of the human brain. The sixth sense, direct perception, should be developed in young children. This is what we call telepathy. Telepathy enables us to communicate directly with our creators, the Elohim.

 Numerous mediums have come to me asking what they should do, because they had received messages from what they call “the beyond”, asking them to get in touch with me in order to help me, and for me to bring them “the light”. Mediums are very important people because they have an above average gift of telepathy, and their minds are already on the path to an awakened state. They should try to practice meditation in order to fully master their potential. I am eagerly waiting for all those mediums who have received such messages to get in touch with me, so that we may organize regular meetings. The true mediums who seek to be informed will all receive instructions. The power of one brain is great, but the power of several brains is infinite. Let those who have ears, hear." (p. 207)

In the chapter titled "The Reward", Rael writes:

"If you recognize the Elohim as your creators, and if you love them and wish to welcome them, if you try to do good to other people by making as much use as you can of all your potential, if you think of your creators regularly, trying through telepathy to make them understand that you love them, if you help the Guide of Guides to accomplish his mission, you will without a doubt be entitled to scientific reincarnation on the planet of the eternals." (p. 216)

Yet, given all of the above, Rael has quite recently excommunicated a couple of high-profile Raelians because they came forward and claimed to be receiving instructions directly from the Elohim through telepathy and other modes of communication. Rael brushed these individuals off saying they were suffering from mental illness. Rael communicated his official stance on this matter in a Raelian newsletter, which contradicts what he wrote originally in his books:

Regarding the allusion of mediums in the Messages 

Mediums, as explained in the Messages, have to receive a special training when they are little children. After childhood they cannot develop it. And even with this training they can only receive telepathic feelings: never clear Messages. We do not even have, right now, the knowledge about this training. For clear Messages there is a need for a surgery which was performed on me when I went to the Eternal life Planet. The call for regular meetings of sensitive people called "medium" and who can receive feelings and never clear messages will be organized when the Elohim will ask for it and not to create a new leadership but for a very special purpose. And that may happen or not. The Elohim decide and we follow. The only way to know when they decide is through the Prophet and not through people suddenly hearing voices... 

If I received the Messages in 1973 by " hearing voices" I would never have believed it, nor created any organization but would have instead ran to see a psychiatrist. For the simple reason that I am a rational person. I did accept the Messages and the mission because they were given to me in a physical contact and not at a "sunrise" or at any "solstice" which means nothing. 

Our mission is to fight traditional mysticism and even more neo-mysticism which attracts many people due to the disappearing of main religions. Peace and love. (Contact 379, p. 7)

Notice how Rael is conflating mediums who allegedly already possess telepathic abilities with normal people who need to be trained from a young age. Rael seems to be oblivious of himself instructing Raelians to meditate in order to develop their “sixth sense”. Rael also denies Yahweh’s prior directive to immediately organize regular meetings with mediums who will have received instructions, and not just feelings, from the Elohim. Rael also seems to forget his claim that the Elohim kept contact with him telepathically prior to his “surgery” that supposedly transformed him into a full blown telepath. Does this mean Rael was just vaguely in contact with them between 1973 and 1975? Does this also mean Rael can now, as did the Elohim to himself, mind-control other people?

To date, Rael has yet to seek out and acknowledge "true mediums" as Raelians. Instead, he does not hesitate to expel anyone who dares to contest his original writings, known as the Messages, or his dictatorial authority as the messenger of the Elohim in an attempt to purge his cult of “weak and psychologically unbalanced people, who take their dreams or mental disease induced hallucinations, for reality” (Contact 379, p. 7).

Rael knows these people are delusional because he himself must have made everything up.


Advocatus Diaboli