A spiritual school in Victoria teaches that we each have a spiritual guide who we can rely on to help us through life, and that the couple who run the school – Ian and Pearl Rogers – sit on a council alongside entities who have lived many lifetimes before this one. Students are lucky enough to gain access to incredible knowledge through this council, which boasts Leonardo Da Vinci, Mahatma Gandhi, and Lady Di amongst its members. But forum posts dating back to 2012 allege that Sphinx Spiritual has been operating as a cult for many years. It’s only now that former members have started speaking out.

Part 2 is already available to Patreon supporters, and will be released on the main feed on Wednesday 27 May.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

Credits:

Written and hosted by Sarah Steel

Music by Joe Gould

Links:

Legislative Assembly Victoria Clerk of the Papers — Notices of Questions, Volume 4, Session 1988-92
Legislative Assembly Victoria Clerk of the Papers — Notices of Questions, Volume 3, Session 1988-91
‘To strike a balance’: A History of Victoria’s Workers’ Compensation Scheme, 1985–2010 — by Marianna Stylianou, Monash University, June 2011
WorkCare funds $2m lawsuit against ABC — by Paul Robinson, The Age, 17 November 1991
Lengthy defamation case draws to close — by Paul Robinson, The Age, 22 March 1992
ROUX AND OTHERS v AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING COMMISSION [1992] 2 VR 577 — BYRNE J., 13 Mar 1992, Victorian Reports
Public Service ‘spy’ wins compo claim — by Gay Alcorn, The Age, 2 December 1990
Who are the Council? - more than 7 Historical icons! — Sphinx Spiritual YouTube channel, 31 March 2023
Inside the Sphinx Spiritual School — A Current Affair, 16 February 2026
Inside the controversial spiritual school run by former detectives — by Sam Cucchiara, A Current Affair, 16 February 2026
The 11 Spiritual Values - Revealed! — Sphinx Spiritual YouTube channel, 17 February 2023
The Wisdom of Crazy Horse — Ian Rogers’ blog with posts dating back to April 2012, visited April 2026
sphinxspiritual.com.au Ian and Pearl Rogers — Cult Education Institute forum posts dating from 22 September 2012
Spiritual LoveMatch — various archived versions of the Sphinx Spiritual dating platform website between 2015 and 2018
Pythagoras Investing — archived versions of the official website
Stock Nostradamus — archived versions of the official website
Everything you must know about Sphinx Spiritual School of Learning — by Amelia Swan & Brooke Grebert-Craig, Herald Sun, 4 January 2026
Former student of Sphinx Spiritual School of Learning speaks after leaving controversial sect — by Brooke Grebert-Craig & Amelia Swan, Herald Sun, 5 January 2026
The mystical Mornington Peninsula sect drawing in wealthy, single women — by Brooke Grebert-Craig & Amelia Swan, Herald Sun, 4 January 2026
FYI - THIS IS VERY RARE! If you want to see a true High Maintenance relationship at work - look at Ian & Pearl! — Sphinx Spiritual Facebook post attributed to Ian Rogers, 21 May 2016
Anyone come across the Sphinx Spiritual cult? — Reddit thread dating back to 13 January 2022
A warning about a widespread, local "Spiritual School". — Reddit thread dating from 2 November 2025
Posts by Jamie123 — Cult Education Institute forum posts about Sphinx Spiritual dating from 24 March 2024
Sphinx Spiritual Surgery — Sphinx Spiritual School of Learning Facebook video, 4 July 2025
Spiritual Surgery — Sphinx Spiritual School of Learning page about the modality, visited April 2026