NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES: 'Twin Flames' draws huge following, along with concern about its practices

Feb. 18—TRAVERSE CITY — In 2020, the Farmington Hills Police Department began receiving a series of peculiar emails and phone calls.

In one, a mother told police she lived out of town and couldn't reach her adult daughter who'd just joined an online spiritual community.

In others, callers and emailers said a Farmington Hills couple, Jeff Ayan and Megan Plante, founded an alleged internet romance scam called Twin Flames Universe, that tricked people into working for free.

After callers to police used the words "brainwashing" and "cult," two detectives, Chad Double and Brian Vogel, were assigned to investigate a C3324 — suspicious circumstances.

"I did some initial investigation which showed that Twin Flames was a self-help group and talk about finding your 'twin flame,' somewhat of a soulmate," Detective Double said in a report.

That was four years ago — almost to the day — in February 2020.

Tens of thousands now follow Twin Flames-related content on social media, documentaries about the group premiered last year on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and national news outlets Vanity Fair, Time, Rolling Stone and VICE published investigative stories.

On Thursday, the National Writers Series is hosting Keely Griffin, a former member of Twin Flames Universe, and Dr. Janja Lalich, sociologist and author of "Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships."

"There are a lot of concerns about potential harm and risks and danger that weren't in the Netflix documentary," Lalich said. "And the community needs to figure out what to do about this in your backyard."

The Ayans, who did not respond to requests for comment, now run the business from their home near Suttons Bay, where they go by the names Jeff Divine and Shaleia Divine.

A statement posted months ago on the Twin Flames website says criminal allegations saddened the couple and "misrepresent the autonomy of our community members, who are free to engage with our resources as they see fit."

But back on Feb. 6, 2020, the term "Twin Flames" had yet to enter popular culture.

An interview with detectives

It was 2:17 p.m., when detectives Double and Vogel approached the Ayans' brick Colonial home on the west side of Farmington Hills, and clicked on an audio recorder.

"You guys want to take off your shoes," Jeff Ayan said.

Plante was not present. Ayan asked if they could talk somewhere else, detectives suggested the police station and Ayan declined.

Detectives then spent the next 20-plus minutes methodically probing Ayan: Why would people say they hadn't been paid for their work? Why would people say they'd been stalked or scammed? Why would people call the department and claim Ayan had brainwashed them?

"Is there any way, and I don't know how to ask this," Double said, "why do you think people are saying that you could brainwash them? Into doing these things?"

Detectives ask the same questions in multiple ways and large portions of the recording, which the Record-Eagle received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, are redacted.

The following exchange is audible: "If you could give me a moment, I'd like to answer your question," Ayan said, "but I need to think about that."

"People ask lots of different questions in lots of different ways," Ayan said. "And you know, I just want to make sure I answer this in a way that you can understand. So that you're satisfied."

Officers told Ayan to take his time and several seconds pass before he speaks again. "I guess if you could, like, ask me more, what are you really getting at here?" Ayan said. "Like, ask me a little deeper? In a different way perhaps?"

Detectives later said in a report about this interview that the only time Ayan appeared upset was when he realized the interview was being recorded and that Ayan seemed to "couch" his words carefully.

Dr. Lalich, when informed of this exchange, was more blunt.

"He's obfuscating and he's delaying," Lalich said. "He's trying to confuse them. This is what cult leaders do, they turn questions back on you because they don't want to answer."

This way of answering a question with a question is an attempt to exert power over a situation, Lalich said, and to avoid transparency.

Griffin, who appeared in the Netflix documentary, "Escaping Twin Flames," said Ayan's answers to the detectives' direct questions brought back unpleasant memories.

"He uses a lot of what the community calls 'word salad,' " Griffin said. "He'll stream words together into long flowing sentences to really confuse the listener. He's trying to confuse you and be the one in control."

The cost of voluntary participationThe Ayans have no criminal records in Michigan under either their current or previous names, local and state records show.

Farmington Hills Police said they forwarded their report to a Michigan FBI agent. Gabrielle Szlenkier, of the FBI's Detroit office, said Friday the agency's standard practice is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of investigations.

Scant entries about the couple show up in public vital statistic databases, although previous media reports and online information show Ayan, 35, is from Lapeer, and Plante, age unknown, is from Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Leelanau County Sheriff Michael Borkovich said that, while he's received "chain-type" email letters from across the U.S. containing accusations of fraud and other crimes against Twin Flames, his officers haven't found evidence of this.

Borkovich said he has contacted the senders of these emails, asked for specifics, but received no response.

"For $14,000, I could find your perfect flame," Borkovich said, referencing fees charged by Twin Flames Universe for online instructional videos and classes.

For example, the website lists The Everything Package for a one-time payment of $8,888 or 12 monthly installments of $888.

A Sermons of Life Purpose Class is $555, a Dreams Come True E-Course is $777 and tickets to an upcoming Spiritual Life Summit in Traverse City are $599.

"I don't know why people spend money on things like what some are calling cults," Borkovich said. "I don't recommend people get involved in stuff like that."

At least one previous caller to Leelanau County officials said he wanted to make a police report, dispatch records provided to the Record-Eagle in response to a FOIA request show, but he was afraid of being sued.

In 2020, federal court records show the Ayans filed defamation lawsuits against eight former students and volunteers, accusing them of a conspiracy against the business and seeking financial damages and attorney fees.

The lawsuits were later dismissed, either voluntarily by the Ayans or by mutual stipulation, court records show.

'Cults want people with money'Twin Flames, according to their website, also has an online church — Church of Union — currently advertising the $599 tickets to a four-day event called Spiritual Life Summit, June 13-16 in Traverse City.

The location for the summit is not listed and local event vendors contacted, who all declined to speak for attribution, said they either refused to host it or were unaware of the event. Keely said it's possible the event could be moved online — where most of the group's other activity occurs — and she invited anyone interested in breaking ties with the group to email escapingtwinflames@gmail.com.

"I would like them to feel comfortable coming to me or any of the survivors," Griffin said.

Local social media addressing Twin Flames Universe, such as Overheard in Traverse City or Overheard in Leelanau County, contain multiple comments criticizing anyone taken in by a cult or cult-like group as unintelligent.

Lalich said it's the exact opposite.

"Cults don't want weak people, they want A1 personalities. They want people with money, people with connections, they want people who are eager, who will work hard and recruit others," Lalich said.