# Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jonathan-hirsch-part-2-meditation-getting-blessed-and-leaving-adidam
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jonathan-hirsch-part-2-meditation-getting-blessed-and-leaving-adidam.md
Podcast: [Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347)
Published: 2026-01-28T08:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://omny.fm/shows/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation/jonathan-hirsch-part-2-meditation-getting-blessed-and-leaving-adidam
Audio file: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f804eed6-dd2f-4bf9-ba37-b2de011a8b27/e73dc260-38bd-4ddd-b015-b3da01630798/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=462fb424-93c4-4e4b-8e00-b2de011a8b44
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/episodes/jonathan-hirsch-part-2-meditation-getting-blessed-and-leaving-adidam
Duration seconds: 3835

## Resource

In part 2 with podcaster & writer Jonathan Hirsch (creator of podcasts like Dear Franklin Jones), Lola & Meagan discuss life in the cult of Franklin Jones, aka Adi Da. They discuss the dramatic meditation rituals in the group, what it felt like to get blessed by the leader, and how different members saw some of the same things that had happened completely differently, depending on whether they still believed in him later or not. They discuss the lawsuits and allegations against Jones and how the cult panic of the time impacted the way his followers saw them, the importance of being able to admit when you’re wrong, and how ultimately Jonathan left. SOURCES Dear Franklin Jones The Mind Is Burning   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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## Transcript

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