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The Cult Of Brother XII
- Melissa Dawn
- Aug 4, 2023
- 6 min read
Article originally published by Melissa Dawn March 2017. Revised August 4th 2023.
Occultism and spiritual practice have always had an alluring appeal and attracted a wide variety of individuals from all walks of life. Generally, seekers of the occult are looking for a deeper meaning and purpose to their existence, and often, they long for a spiritual teacher—a teacher who will guide them and lead them to a higher plane of existence. In the individual's pursuit of spiritual or magical ways, they can often, and quite unthinkingly, give up their own will and fall under the influence of a charismatic leader. It so happens that such a leader appeared on the west coast of Canada, seemingly out of nowhere. A leader called Brother XII.
Edward Arthur Wilson a.k.a Brother XII
Brother XII, born Edward Arthur Wilson in 1878 in Birmingham, England, arrived in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada, around 1927. He immediately established a significant following of wealthy devotees from all over the world. Followers were encouraged to build homes in his colony, Cedar-By-The-Sea, and then eventually, Brother XII expanded his settlement to the secluded Valdes and De Courcy Islands. It all began innocently as a motion to live an independent and self-sufficient existence. However, it would escalate into the disaster that most cults eventually degrade into.
A Map of Nanaimo, De Courcy Island, and Valdes Island
Wilson saw himself as a reincarnation of the Egyptian god Osiris and offered followers his unique and exclusive teachings in a colony unaffected by the contamination of the modern world. Of course, it was on conditions of exclusive worship, total devotion, isolation from outsiders, and naturally continuous donations of members' money. Brother XII meets every check box on the list of "How To Run A Cult," which are:
The group displays an excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader.
Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished
Mind-altering practices are used in excess to control and suppress doubts in members.
Leader dictates how members should think, act, and feel.
The group is always elitist, claiming special and exalted status.
The group will have a polarized "Us vs. Them" mentality.
The leader will not be accountable to authorities.
The group teaches the idea that the end justifies the means.
The leader induces feelings of shame or guilt to control the members.
Often, there is an abundance of sexual abuse and promiscuity carried out by the leader.
Subservience to the leader requires members to cut ties with their family and non-members.
Members must alter their personal goals radically to belong.
The group will be preoccupied with making money.
Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to group activities.
Members are encouraged to live or socialize with other members.
The most loyal members are made to feel there is no life outside the group.
There is fear and punishment for leaving.
The followers of Brother XII were not necessarily uneducated individuals. However, they were still willing to give up their independence, freedom, and finances to a man who offered them something seemingly intangible. So why, you ask, would anyone buy into the preachings of a cult leader? What do they see in these enigmatic individuals that they think will help them in life? Psychology Today notes that cults consist of "the post-graduate and the illiterate; the teenager and the "senior citizen"; the solidly middle class and those on the fringes of society." So demographics don't play a vital role in the criteria of a cult follower, but rather, it is essential to look at the trickier aspects of an individual's psychological needs.
Followers on one of the islands
The followers of Brother XII were not necessarily uneducated individuals, but they were still willing to give up their independence, freedom, and finances to a man who offered them something seemingly so intangible. So why, you ask, would anyone buy into the preachings of a cult leader? What do they see in these enigmatic individuals that they think will help them in life? Psychology Today notes that cults comprise "the post-graduate and the illiterate; the teenager and the "senior citizen"; the solidly middle class and those on the fringes of society." So demographics doesn't play a key role in the criteria of a cult follower, but rather it is important to look at the trickier aspects of an individual's psychological needs.
In Brother XII's case, he targeted his followers' fears and came up with outlandish solutions in the form of worship, devotion, and donation. Wilson also mixed his spiritual influence alongside politics. His followers often donated to his political causes, and he was heavily involved in attempting to create a third-party option in American politics. Wealthy American socialite Mary Connally was responsible for donating the money that helped him purchase the islands he would use to isolate his members later. She would be one of many female devotees he would use to create the mania that was The Aquarian Foundation, the religious order created and taught by Brother XII.
Books about Brother XII, the third image is Wilsons own writings.
The Aquarian Foundation had over 1250 members worldwide at its peak, but the island colonies began to break apart in 1929 after he had affairs with many females. Undeterred, Brother XII would acquire a female counterpart as a, Madame Z. At this time, Wilson had become more paranoid and dictatorial and began to use much harsher means to keep his commune under control. Madame Z, Mabel Skottowe, was in charge of recruiting more members, funds, and retaining members, working endlessly on tasks to prove their spiritual worthiness.
A woodcut from The Vancouver Sun depicting Brother XII
One man imprisoned in a cellar on one of the islands for quite a time for his disobedience finally managed to escape, row a boat back to Nanaimo, and report Wilson to the police. The concept of abusive cults was unknown at the time. Hence, the police never followed up on the report, and Brother XII continued the cycle of attracting members, requiring payment, isolating them from the world, and imposing his abusive teachings.
It became apparent over time to some members that one could never be quite spiritual enough for Brother XII, and as conditions deteriorated, further members began to revolt en masse. Followers leave a cult for a variety of reasons. Usually, it is due to the members becoming aware of the leader's hypocrisy and tired of the relentless rituals, proselytizing, and controlled lifestyle. It was the same in the case of Brother XII, except due to some of his members' societal status, he couldn't continue on for long. The members were able to get out of the colonies and begin the legal process of suing him to get their monies back.
The result of Brother XII losing control and having the law come down on him was that he had a violent outburst, destroyed the colonies, and scuttled his flagship on the island. Like most cult leaders, Brother XII would refuse to be held accountable by the local authorities. He fled with Skottowe in their private tugboat with over half a million dollars in members' money (the equivalent of $70,183,720.93 in 2017) and never appeared and faced charges in court.
Brother XII disappears from history as the cult leader that we know. People believe that he passed away in 1934 in Switzerland. However, the end of an enigmatic cult leader is never so simple. The rumor remains that Brother XII faked his death to ensure authorities would never bring him to justice. In testimony from his lawyer's son, Wilson met his lawyer in San Francisco quite long after his supposed death.
A nature trail is named after the infamous cult leader.
If anything, this article isn't to prove that all individuals who practice magic or take on spiritual journeys are mindless followers. It also doesn't declare that all teachers are abusive cult leaders. In the case of Brother XII, the signs were quite apparent, and the individuals had an emotional need to belong and feel special spiritually. The most important message I could pass on from the story of Brother XII is that if you are truly self-sufficient and believe in a spiritual path, you've already got what you need inside yourself to connect to the power that is GOD.
Any organization (religious or non-religious) that doesn't allow you to be authentic, requires you to give all your money, love-bombs you excessively initially, and slowly isolates you from your family and friends; they are not there for your security. Sadly, many who join cults are searching for a magical group that will give them a unique identity because they weren't provided any structure as a child or a healthy religious upbringing. I recommend getting used to mundane life, knowing yourself, and setting boundaries on what you will or will not do before you get involved in any groups. Learn to walk away from groups and not alter yourself to fit in.
Here are some cult recovery links below:
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