Group shot at an Australian retreat run by The Gnostic Movement
This post is part of a series refuting false allegations made against The Gnostic Movement and its spiritual teacher, Mark H Pritchard, as part of a dedicated smear campaign. To go to the main page on rebuffing the false allegations click here, or read the background to the smear campaign see here.
Smear campaigners are lying about Mark and Edith’s property project, but here are the facts. With great sacrifice Mark H Pritchard and Edith used their own personal residence to create funds for the Gnostics, with no profit made for themselves. They initially helped The Gnostic Movement when buying its property from it when it was found to be unsuitable for the movement, at full market value, which was almost double what The Gnostic Movement had paid for it, drastically increasing the Gnostic Movements own funds. Then they spent considerable time and effort renovating it, and although it was still a building site, they sold it back to the Gnostics for less than half its value, as a way of generating funds for the teaching. The Gnostics then renovated it to completion. Mark and Edith made no money out of it at all, not a single dollar and worked extremely hard on it. Yet this wonderful help has been horribly distorted by the smear campaign, who have claimed that Mark and Edith had created some luxury property for themselves. They only ever stayed there when it was virtually uninhabitable and a building site. When they left it, it didn’t even have a kitchen.
In 2002, The Gnostic Movement in Australia started fundraising to establish a permanent retreat center. By September 2002, enough of a sum had been raised that the members of the organization decided to purchase a small rural property to develop as a retreat. The property was seven acres with an almost uninhabitable hut on it. Mark had asked that the Movement use the property to hold retreats, but they didn’t and had no plans to. Instead the Movement decided to rent another premises as a retreat and the property was left abandoned to vermin and decay. So then Mark and Edith moved into the property and organized working retreats with around 30 people that were new students, teachers, and members, to renovate it whilst continuing to teach Gnosticism in the organization full time. This was a temporary measure to get the property used and fixed up. After 11 months they left the property and went to live abroad for 3 years.
By February 2003, the plans for The Gnostic Movement to develop the property as a retreat were reconsidered. The members of The Gnostic Movement in Australia thought it could be best used as a headquarters where Mark and Edith could live and teach from, and so various ideas were looked into and the property was renovated. Mark and Edith didn’t want to have the property without the Movement being paid for it (as evidenced in an email in 2004) and would only purchase it if the Movement wanted to sell it, if no one else wanted to buy it, and at full market value.
Finally, after consideration in a meeting of the Australian members in August 2005, it was decided to sell the property to Mark and Edith for the full market value. Also in that meeting it was stated that none of the members wanted to buy the property and they agreed that they would take a contract for the sale. An independent appraiser was hired and assessed the value of the property, and it was sold at full market value in 2006, which was around double the price the Movement had originally bought it for, and probably much more than it would have sold for to anyone else. This is where the involvement of The Gnostic Movement in the property ceased, and the money that The Gnostic Movement made on the sale of the property formed the basis of their retreat search.
At this point in time, a few members, teachers, and students within the organization decided amongst themselves to assist Mark and Edith in renovating the property as it was a building site. This help was done purely out of friendship for Mark and Edith and was not requested by them, nor expected of anyone. Mark and Edith turned it into a project to benefit the Gnostics, the property was renovated and eventually sold by Mark and Edith to the Gnostics for less than half the independently assessed market value. In fact, it was sold in 2010 for just the price that they had paid for it in 2006, plus the amount they had spent on renovating it (at cost) since then. Their wish was to allow Gnostics to benefit from selling the property at a much increased value, due to all its renovations, and in doing so Mark and Edith have not made any personal profit at all. It has always been their intention to help build a Gnostic retreat, and that first retreat property was a stepping stone towards it.
Every dollar that has been donated towards the Australian retreat project has been put towards it (including money that was loaned to the US organization through a formal loan agreement which has since been paid back). Mark and Edith have done nothing but work to benefit Gnosis with this property and any suggestion otherwise is false; nothing could be further from the truth. The Gnostic Movement paid $125,000 for the property; that’s all that was raised for a retreat for The Gnostic Movement. The value in it above that amount has been created because of Mark and Edith, who have made great sacrifices to make it happen. It’s terrible that so many years of hard work are being falsely used against them by lies by the smear campaigners who only want to harm them.
Smear Campaigner’s Ruin European Retreat
Whilst falsely accusing The Gnostic Movement of “dishonesty” in relation to the Australia retreat, we have since discovered that smear campaign instigators Vernon and Barbara used most of the money raised for the purchase of a retreat by The Gnostic Movement in Europe instead towards lavishly renovating the rented Gnostic Movement centers they were in charge of in Greece and London. This was done despite the money not being raised for that purpose and with no loan agreement in place for the money to ever be repaid. Their misuse of donations was only discovered once Barbara and Vernon had been asked to leave The Gnostic Movement, as the people who replaced them in their positions then had access to the financial records which Barbara and Vernon had been entrusted with. As Barbara and Vernon had spent the money raised for the retreat on the rented premises they were in charge of, the money was in no way able to be recouped, and the retreat project for Europe which had been publicly advertised and fundraised for, had to be called off – with only $9,000 Euros left in the bank. This virtually “robbed” the attendees of The Gnostic Movement in Europe of a retreat, which was something completely out of our hands.
This is just another example of how Barbara and Vernon falsely accuse others whilst having acted badly themselves.
It is interesting to look back over a sequence of events and see the different interpretations people can make from these events.
Having participated in many aspects of the Australian retreat search it has been clear the intent and need for The Gnostic Movement to have its own retreat property. The benefit that many derive from National retreats is overwhelming.
To think that this can be tarnished and impeded because some believe (without evidence, fact or context) that there is misappropriation is laughable.
I think this not only clears up these ridiculous allegations about misused retreat funds, but it shows the integrity and dedication of Mark & Edith to help Gnosis to be available to so many people worldwide over the years.
I completely back up this blog, and totally agree with Jenny’s comment.
I have first-hand experience with this aspect of the Movement and I know that due to the dedication and generosity of Mark and Edith, the Gnostics have been able to benefit greatly. This is something which would not have been possible without their care, commitment, love and generosity. These are rare virtues in many people today. In fact, they are so rare that people can even overlook and trample upon such deeds, and this is very sad to see happen.
Any claims stating otherwise and sullying these acts of generosity are nothing but completely false, misleading and deceptive.
I would like to write something here as someone who has been very involved with the Australian retreat since its early beginnings.
I remember the state this property was in, in 2002. It was basically a hut in the jungle (it was left so overgrown), but at the time it was the best of what the organization could afford. As always tends to happen, the area around it was developed and it lost its privacy.
I helped look into how the property could be best used, as Mark and Edith had worked so hard to get Gnosis out there and this place gave them somewhere to keep doing that as humble and unfortunately uninhabitable as it was. But they wanted to make sure that the Australian’s would have their retreat one way or another. They bought the property at full market value and the money from the sale meant that we could start looking to buy a much more suitable property for a retreat. We now had double the amount we started with. It helped the Australian Gnostics a lot.
I was one of the people who helped them with their place. Neither he nor Edith ever, ever asked me to do this. I did it like any friend who comes around to help another friend fix up their place. I had such a great time amongst friends there. They are some of my fondest memories.
I know personally like it states, that every single dollar put towards the retreat has gone towards it and of course, even more! Mark and Edith have done an amazing thing for the Gnostics. The Gnostics are going to get something great thanks to their generosity and hard work, as well as the work of those people who helped fix the place up. There is no way we could have raised that same amount. It has truly been a gift that has helped the retreat search immensely. There are people working behind the scenes to make it all happen, and when it does it will make all the efforts people have put into it worthwhile.
So much has come out of the Australian retreat, so much good for Gnosticism, so many friendships, and something great for the future. To hear anybody put it in a negative light is something so foreign to me, it’s as if they must be talking about something else!
The people who have worked on this are some of the best people I have ever met. People with big hearts who have done so much out of care and friendship for others. I can’t wait to see the Australian Gnostics at the next retreat, they are true blue! Thanks to Mark, Edith, and The Gnostic Movement’s Australian members for everything you have done for me and even for the people who are yet to come! Thank you!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Godislove. Well done to you for expressing what all of us, who have been involved, really feel.
I have also been involved on the property since the very beginning, and some of my best memories come from the time spent there.
I’ve learned so much about friendship, love, compassion and much more on this project. Indeed, I have treasured every moment experienced there.
There are many of us that have formed a strong bond of friendship there and all that I have learnt through this and along the way has been absolutely invaluable. Words cannot describe my gratitude for being given the opportunity to be involved.
Speaking as a builder, there were many that I worked with that had no building skills but who were very keen to learn how to build. They have since achieved the unimaginable, and have developed many skills (physically and psychologically), which can be for used for our next project.
Mark and Edith have always been great friends of mine, and have always been a joy to be with. Through their patience, love and guidance, I personally, have received a great deal from them and cannot thank them enough for all they have done.
For all of the reasons described above I find it extremely and utterly disgraceful that there are some out there who are trying to fabricate false and undermining stories about matters they know nothing about. It’s truly beyond ridiculous and is simply WRONG.
I hope that all who come across this blog can have the opportunity to see that which is the truth of the matter.
Hello Godislove and John,
Having taken part as well in working on this property and seeing the willingness of all involved to do so to support Mark and Edith and to facilitate the spread of Gnosis in the world, it hurts to see that this may be tarnished due to misinformation.
Nonetheless we now have a wonderful opportunity ahead and I look forward to what this will bring to those truly interested in finding and practicing gnosis.
Wow, thanks for your personal stories Godislove, John and Scott. Your testimonies confirm everything that is coming out in this blog, and it’s great that the truth can finally come to light!
Retreats play such an important part in developing spiritual strength to carry out the Gnostic work. Let’s hope these refutations to unwarranted allegations contribute to the search, acquisition, and building of our own permanent retreat that true Gnostics everywhere can benefit spiritually from.
Kudos to those who have been there from the start, and working to make our dream for a retreat a physical reality.
Thanks for explaining the events so clearly – it makes perfect sense from what I have seen and experienced within the Movement, with other Gnostics at retreats, and hearing Mark and Edith speak at them.
And again, not only does the truth clears misconceptions, lies, rumors and ‘whathaveyou’ but it brings out people that were accused of misusing funds into the complete opposite light: it shows again how respect of what is right is done and conducted by The Gnostic Movement but it also shows again how genuine, caring and real Mark and Edith Pritchard are.
Their generosity is above what people would expect from anyone – I guess for some it is hard to accept, maybe even some just cannot believe it, but then that does not mean that it’s not the reality of things.
This is what Gnosis does when applied properly it changes your heart to make it a better one: a more caring, loving, trustworthy, honest and real one.
That makes me think of this talk by Belzebuub:
http://www.belzebuub.com/inner-change/articles/state-world
Nice reference, thanks for the link Geraldine
Well said Geraldine and really everyone who shared their personal experience with this.
I wasn’t there so I can’t share my experience with this, but from working with Mark and Edith over the years, hearing the allegations were just ridiculous. As this post lays out and people’s experience further express and confirm, Mark and Edith are genuinely caring, honest, compassionate, generous people that are truly dedicated to helping others spiritually and helping the Gnostics teachings get to the world, nothing else.
I hope too that suitable retreat lands can be found across the world so that Gnostics have a place of their own to gather and build true spiritual sanctuaries in nature. I am eager for us to find a place in North America and starting the journey of building a Gnostic Retreat. Hopefully it will happen soon
I hope it happens soon in Australia too! 
The Australian retreat search has only ever benefited greatly from Mark and Edith’s involvement. The generosity of their actions is overwhelming, particularly the latest sale back to the gnostics which means they have in effect donated a huge amount to the Australian retreat. I am gobsmacked by their generosity and sacrifice for the sake of the likes of me and my fellow gnostics.
This a wonderful story of generosity of friendship. What a shame that people have twisted it to serve their self created story of hatred.
This site puts the facts straight.
I also have been involved from the start with this project and I can also confirm with everything that has been written here.
Of all the involvement that I have had with this project not once was I ever made or ordered to do anything I did so willingly from my own free will for the good of Gnosis and also personally for Mark and Edith who i consider to be dear friends, in fact what i have learnt, received(psychologically) and friends I have made from my involvement is priceless
Thank you
It’s so strange to read these accusations. I’ve not been involved in this Australian retreat, but from what I’ve experienced otherwise, it makes no sense that people (Mark and Edith) who genuinely want to spread esoteric teachings (for free!) would turn around and use a retreat for their own financial gain etc. Especially knowing what a retreat center is suppose to build – a source of light and strength for those who are truly and seriously trying to live out a spiritual life…it’s just backwards to suggest these things about Mark and Edith. It’s good to have the truth laid out here.