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

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

You can listen to Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam is an episode from Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and the Abuse of Power by iHeartPodcasts.

This episode is 63:55 long.

This episode was published on Jan 28, 2026.

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