I have seen and partaken in many spiritual groups over the last 40 years, most have systematically followed that same pattern of rise and collapse. I've tried to understand this from many points of view, spiritual, psychological, group dynamics, and others. All were interesting but left me unsatisfied and with the feeling that something was missing. A few years ago I discovered Complex Systems Theory and had a eureka moment. Human groups can be understood as Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), composed of interacting agents whose local behaviors give rise to emergent global structures. Within such systems, certain individuals can become attractors—points around which attention, meaning, and coordination begin to organize. This dynamic is particularly visible in cult formation. From an initially diverse population, one agent emerges as a central attractor. Attention flows toward this individual in the form of praise, trust, and projection. In return, the leader produces meaning—“wisdom”—which reinforces the followers’ orientation toward them. A positive feedback loop is established: attention generates authority, and authority amplifies attention. As this loop intensifies, the system begins to close in on itself. Information that contradicts the internal structure is filtered out, while coherence within the system is reinforced. The group evolves toward an increasingly autonomous and self-referential organization, where alignment is rewarded and deviation is either corrected or rejected. What emerges is not merely social cohesion, but a form of dynamic enclosure. This process can be mapped onto the NSS/SOS landscape of consciousness. NSS (Non-Survival Sensations) correspond to openness, exploration, and the capacity to perceive the full landscape of experience. SOS (Survival-Oriented Sensations), by contrast, narrow the field around threat, control, and stability. In the early stages of group formation, NSS dynamics may dominate—curiosity, inspiration, a sense of shared meaning. But as the system grows in complexity and begins to protect its own structure, SOS dynamics increasingly take over.

Here is my tribute to and my criticism of the enigmatic and wonderful Alan Watts. But what do you think 🧐 genius or fraud❓