What Can Oregon Learn From the Rajneeshees?

Our own bushy-bearded guru explains.

Rajneeshpuram in the early '80s. (Cathy Cheney for WW)
By WW Staff

Three decades after the Rahjneeshees decamped from Oregon, residents remain fascinated.

That's one lesson from the wave of interest in the maroon-clad religious movement, sparked by the release of the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country. This week's edition of WW combed through our archives to find that one reporter embedded himself with the homeless men recruited to Rajneeshpuram, while iconic author Katherine Dunn went toe-to-toe with sect mastermind Ma Anand Sheela.

What did WW news editor Aaron Mesh learn from this trip down memory lane? Our own bushy-bearded guru spoke to KATU-TV on Wednesday about the enduring lessons of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Read more of WW's Rajneeshee coverage:

In 1984, the Rajneeshees Bused 3,000 Homeless People to Live in Their Oregon Compound. Our Reporter Was One of Them.

A Look At Where Five of the Key People and Places in the Rajneesh Cult Saga Are Now

The Rajneeshees' Onetime Compound is Now a Christian Summer Camp. Here's What It's Like to Attend.

Thirty Years Ago, "Geek Love" Author Katherine Dunn Scored a Jailhouse Interview With Rajneeshee Mastermind Ma Anand Sheela. Fireworks Ensued.

A Photo Gallery of the Rajneesh Commune Thirty Years Ago, And What the Land Looks Like Today

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.