Editing Twin Flames Universe

{{Short description|American religious organization}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = Twin Flames Universe
| logo             =
| logo_size        =
| type             = Privately held company
| foundation       = {{start date and age|2017}}
| defunct          =
| location         = United States
| key_people       = {{ubl|Jeff Divine (co-founder)|Shaleia Divine (co-founder)}}
| industry         =
| products         =
| revenue          =
| operating_income =
| net_income       =
| num_employees    =
| homepage         = {{URL|twinflamesuniverse.com}}
}}
<!--Do not change religious organization to cult or to a different euphemism, please read and/or participate in the discussion on the talk page[[Talk:Twin Flames Universe#Cult status]]-->
'''Twin Flames Universe''' ('''TFU''') is an American religious organization run by '''Jeff and Shaleia Divine'''. The group's practices are based on elements of [[New Age spiritualism]] focusing on [[soulmates]], popularized in the 2000s.<ref name="Romano">{{cite news |last1=Romano |first1=Aja |title=Explaining "Twin Flames", the subject of Netflix's disturbing new documentary |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/23959800/escaping-twin-flames-netflix-jeff-ayan-twin-flames-universe-cult-soulmates |access-date=November 15, 2023 |work=[[Vox Media]] |date=November 14, 2023}}</ref> The group has been described as a [[cult]] by ex-members, with sociologist [[Janja Lalich]] describing it as "fit[ing] into a constellation of self-help and wellness cults that sell sweeping answers to life's biggest problems, and disguise thought reform and manipulation practices as therapy".<ref name="Berman">{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Sarah |title=This YouTube School Promised True Love. Students Say They Got Exploited Instead |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-youtube-school-promised-true-love-students-say-they-got-exploited-instead/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[Vice News]] |date=February 5, 2020 |quote=Janja Lalich, a cult expert and professor emeritus at California State University, Chico, told VICE that Twin Flames Universe fits into a constellation of self-help and wellness cults that sell sweeping answers to life's biggest problems, and disguise thought reform and manipulation practices as therapy.}}</ref> Twin Flames has been accused of exploiting followers, including inducing them to take expensive courses and do unpaid labor for the organization,<ref name="Berman" /> as well as allegedly coercing some members to change their gender.<ref name="Hines" /> In 2023, the group was the subject of the documentaries ''[[Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe]]'' and ''[[Escaping Twin Flames]]''.

==Background==
The term "twin flames" was coined by English novelist [[Marie Corelli]] in her 1886 novel ''[[A Romance of Two Worlds]]''. Related terms, such as "twin rays", came into use in the early 20th century through [[Guy Ballard|Guy]] and [[Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard|Edna Ballard]], founders of [["I AM" Activity]].<ref name="Hines">{{cite news |last1=Hines |first1=Alice |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Inside the Twin Flames Universe and Its Always Online, All-Consuming World |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/12/inside-the-all-consuming-world-of-twin-flames-universe |access-date=November 12, 2023}}{{subscription required}}</ref> A follower of the Ballards, American spiritualist [[Elizabeth Clare Prophet]] first popularized the contemporary concept of twin flames in her 1999 book, titled ''Soul Mates and Twin Flames: The Spiritual Dimension of Love and Relationships''.<ref name="Romano" /><ref name="Hines" /> In it, Prophet mixes [[Hindu]], [[Buddhist]], and [[evangelical Christian]] beliefs to argue that twin flames are two people with a permanent divine connection required for both to reach enlightenment or salvation.<ref name="Romano" /> Prophet's daughter, a professor of religion at the [[University of Florida]], has argued that earlier variations of the concept appear in the works of [[Charles Fourier]] and [[Emanuel Swedenborg]].<ref name="Miller-12">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Matthew |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Hit Netflix doc 'Escaping Twin Flames' is rooted in Michigan. What's it all about? |work=[[MLive Media Group|MLive]] |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/11/hit-netflix-doc-escaping-twin-flames-is-rooted-in-michigan-whats-it-all-about.html |access-date=November 20, 2023}}</ref>

Since Prophet's popularization of the term, it has been used on some [[New Age spiritualism]] forums, where even more [[Western esotericism|esoteric]] versions of the concept have developed.<ref name="Romano" /> The term has been used to describe two people who are equals and whose purpose is to guide the other in their journey of self-discovery. Much like the idea of [[soulmate]]s, one has no control over who one's twin flame is, and usually, the twin flame reflects one's own personality. The infatuation with twin flames has led to some unhealthy and problematic behaviors.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2023 |title=Twin Flame: Definition and Signs You've Met Yours |url=https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/dating-twin-flame/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |website=Forbes Health}}</ref>

==Leaders==
Jeffrey "Jeff" Divine<ref name="Dowling">{{cite news |last1=Dowling |first1=Amber |title=Netflix's Escaping Twin Flames: Where Are Jeff and Shaleia Ayan Now? |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/netflix-escaping-twin-flames-jeff-and-shaleia-ayan/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[TVGuide]] |date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> (born Jeffrey Ayan; formerly Ender Ayanethos) grew up in [[Lapeer, Michigan]], in a [[Catholic]] family. A childhood friend told ''[[Vice News]]'' that in his younger years, Jeff focused on learning everything he could about [[Warren Buffett]]. In high school, he was on the swim team and in theatre club. He graduated from [[Western Michigan University]]'s business school in 2010 and then sold all his belongings and moved to a [[Subsistence agriculture|subsistence farm]] in California. In 2012, he moved to Hawaii, changed his name on social media to Ender Ayanethos (in reference to ''[[Ender's Game (novel series)|Ender's Game]]''), and started the blog ''EndersAdventures''. He built a shack in [[Hilo, Hawaii]], which he rented on [[Airbnb]]. In 2012, he met Megan Plante online, and the pair started dating.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Meredith G. |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Netflix's shocking documentary 'Escaping Twin Flames' has an Arizona connection |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/television/2023/11/15/netflix-escaping-twin-flames-sedona-connection/71580327007/ |access-date=April 14, 2024 |work=AZCentral}}</ref> In 2014, Jeff and Plante met for the first time in person and recorded their first video together.<ref name="Berman-2">{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Sarah |title=How 'Twin Flames Universe' YouTubers Monetized Heartbreak and Trauma |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/twin-flames-universe-youtubers-monetized-heartbreak-and-trauma-netflix-amazon-prime/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[Vice News]] |date=November 9, 2023}}</ref>  The couple married in 2016 and have one daughter, born in April 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harmer |first1=Ariel |title=Twin Flames Universe founders respond to abuse allegations in Netflix's 'Escaping Twin Flames' |url=https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2023/11/13/23959167/twin-flames-universe-respond-to-abuse-allegations |access-date=November 15, 2023 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=November 13, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Yahoo Life">{{cite news |last1=Hanson |first1=Sophie |title=Where Are Jeff & Shaleia Divine Now? Twin Flame Universe Founders' Fate |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/where-jeff-shaleia-divine-now-214838704.html |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[Yahoo Life]] |date=November 8, 2023}}</ref>

Shaleia Divine<ref name="Dowling" /> ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ə|ˈ|l|i|ə|}} {{respell|shə|LEE|ə|}}; born Megan Plante; formerly Shaleia Ayan) was born and raised in Canada in a Catholic family.<ref name="Hines" /><ref name="Russian">{{cite news |last1=Russian |first1=Ale |title='Escaping Twin Flames': Where Are Jeff and Shaleia Divine Now? |url=https://people.com/escaping-twin-flames-jeff-shaleia-where-are-they-now-8399887 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=November 9, 2023}}</ref> Before meeting Ayan, she was a photography student, [[reiki]] practitioner, and [[psychic]] who worked at a [[Thai cuisine|Thai]] restaurant. Shortly after beginning to date Ayan, she changed her name to Shaleia on the advice of her 'spiritual teacher' Altonah Lampe.<ref name="Berman-2" /><ref name="Yahoo Life" />

==History==
When Jeff and Shaleia first met, Shaleia was living in Arizona, where Jeff joined her. The two then moved to Hawaii and started a blog called ''Awakened Intimacy'',<ref name="Yahoo Life" /> and they began making YouTube videos in 2014.<ref name="Berman" /> As of July 2025, their YouTube channel had amassed 28,000 subscribers, and their Facebook page had 369,000 followers. They founded Twin Flames Universe in 2017<ref name="Berman" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Michigan State Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs |title=Articles of Incorporation |url=https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearchFormList.aspx?SEARCH_TYPE=3 |access-date=April 4, 2024 |website=Michigan State Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporation Search, Filings}}</ref> and began offering the "Twin Flame Ascension Course", a paid online class.<ref name="Russian" /> ''Vanity Fair'' journalist Alice Hines described the classes as "a therapeutic-spiritual reality show"; in 2020, the course cost $4,444 to view and purchase.<ref name="Hines" /> In 2019, the couple founded the Church of Union, to "unify all religion under one spiritual umbrella".<ref>{{Cite web |last=State of Michigan, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporation Index |date=April 5, 2024 |title=LARA Online Filing System |url=https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSummary.aspx?token=nBxILn58HwVtv4JMRDwTm1cWblopjmzIgq3FCQzRMH7Z0mRAdeXC1JYbjKVcaOVqpZegr4OhvmZ8AbuDRwiJZRfsE8BrDApuBKy29VS1qo2U1IPq4lTwvMOlbRUwyDDolG3DFORLq82ur+xOXyLDJpKYYNamBMpva7zrLh7lEKunf/5SAkkZX1ZNW7QkTffL5wf3WrDaQCciH9JSOCGvXmNlBueGb/AgHMMT6PDQR2MwkKXjUT0EL1ZIjCmVCsjp6HTyCH+FJaki/0nv3Rc5IQIf89JhArZs3Zj6fOE3uchO3RZIGUgfVcPhW1AMrdsmE4fduOJsWtm/0AK+y82W8HOQMwkrnuqM |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Corporation Information}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendendwaldt |first=Lindsey |date=January 24, 2024 |title=T.V. Series Review – 'Escaping Twin Flames': Why People are Falling for the Love Cult |url=https://www.equip.org/articles/escaping-twin-flames-why-people-are-falling-for-the-love-cult/ |access-date=April 10, 2024 |website=Christian Research Journal of the Christian Research Institute}}</ref> Followers are allegedly put under strong pressure to pay for expensive courses<ref name="Romano" /> and to engage in extensive unpaid labor for the organisation.<ref name="Berman" /> Within the church, Jeff is the "Father Christ", Shaleia the "Mother Christ", and their daughter is the "Princess of all Creation". Together, they are, "the Master Christ: Eternal Ruler of all Creation by God's Living Hand". They also run the "Mind Alignment Process", an online service that claims to treat [[PTSD]].<ref name="Hines" /> The couple has also claimed the ability to cure cancer and other medical conditions with a form of spiritual therapy.<ref name="Hines" /> Since 2020, the organization has been headquartered south of [[Suttons Bay, Michigan]].<ref name="Miller-12" /> It has been estimated that at least 80% of the people who watch the group's YouTube videos are women.<ref name="Hines" />

After the release of two television documentary series about the group in 2023, they hired Red Banyan, a [[crisis communication]]s firm, to improve their image. In 2025, the [[Michigan Attorney General]]'s office confirmed there was an open investigation into the group.<ref name="CTV" /> On July 1, 2025, Michigan Attorney General [[Dana Nessel]] announced that authorities had raided two properties linked to Twin Flames and that there was an ongoing criminal probe against Jeff and Shaleia Divine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Police descend on Twin Flames Universe headquarters months after W5 exposé |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/police-descend-on-twin-flames-universe-headquarters-months-after-w5-expose/ |website=ctvnews.ca |date=July 1, 2025 |access-date=July 4, 2025}}</ref>

==Teachings==
The group teaches that every individual has a "twin flame", an intense variation of a soulmate, which Jeff and Shaleia will assign, and the member is encouraged to pursue their "twin flame" romantically. The group initially allowed outsiders to be assigned as twin flames, leading to instances of members facing [[restraining order]]s and criminal charges for [[stalking]].<ref name="Berman 1">{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Sarah |title=This YouTube School Promised True Love. Students Say They Got Exploited Instead |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-youtube-school-promised-true-love-students-say-they-got-exploited-instead/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[Vice News]] |date=February 5, 2020}}</ref> Members of the group are encouraged to engage in the "mirror exercise", which requires one to think of what is bothering them and then blame themselves for it. Sociologist [[Janja Lalich]] has described it as "this kind of introspective exercise, which they say is there to help you, but it's actually there to tear apart the self".<ref name="Zornosa">{{cite magazine |last1=Zornosa |first1=Laura |title=The Biggest Revelations from Netflix's Escaping Twin Flames Documentary |url=https://time.com/6333184/escaping-twin-flames-netflix-what-to-know/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=November 8, 2023}}</ref>

The group teaches the concepts of a "Divine Masculine" and "Divine Feminine" and that every partnership has one masculine and one feminine partner. Former members have criticized the group for doing a form of [[conversion therapy]] by exerting social pressure on members to conform to their "divine" assigned gender identity.<ref name="Zornosa" /> Former member Arcelia Francis compared the group's ideology to what might happen "if excessive liberal progressives got drunk and had a baby with conservative Christians".<ref name="Hines" /> Other members have mentioned being assigned a twin flame who wasn't the gender they were attracted to; Jeff and Shaleia claimed they had confirmed their genders through God. Many of these people have changed their pronouns, their hairstyles, wardrobes, names, and more about their physical appearance. A few went so far as to medically transition to new genders, under the guidance of Jeff and Shaleia.<ref name="Hines" /> This has been hypothesised to be done to make matches easier among the majority-women membership of the group.<ref name="Romano" /> The group claims to be supportive of the [[LGBT]] community, but their rhetoric has been criticized by [[the New School]] professor Cassius Adair, who has said, "What I'm hearing them say is, 'I want to get closer to who I'm supposed to be.' That raises a red flag for me... We don't want there to be a 'supposed to be' about gender. We want gender to be something that you are allowed to discern on your own."<ref>{{cite news |last1=McFarland |first1=Melanie |title=What "Escaping Twin Flames" teaches us about the anti-trans nature of a supposedly loving cult |work=[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]] |url=https://www.salon.com/2023/11/11/twin-flames-universe-anti-transgender-panic/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |date=November 11, 2023 |format=Commentary}}</ref>

Jeff Divine has been accused of behaving abusively, both towards members and towards Shaleia. It is alleged that he demands that followers cut off their families, that they treat people outside of the Twin Flames community as untrustworthy, and that he implements a strict regimen for their daily routine.<ref name="Romano" />

The conservative, Christian organization [[Focus on the Family]] has criticized the Divines for operating a cult with "a New Age take on the [[Prosperity Gospel]]" that is "two deeply flawed human beings preaching a patchwork of New Age beliefs for their personal gain".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Washburn |first1=Emily |title=Divine Deception — Anti-Biblical 'Twin Flames' Cult Draws Thousands of Followers |url=https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/divine-deception-anti-biblical-twin-flames-cult-draws-thousands-of-followers/ |access-date=November 17, 2023 |work=Daily Citizen |date=November 16, 2023}}</ref>

In response to criticism, Twin Flames Universe has stated that "The allegations levied against Twin Flames Universe not only distort our true aims, methods, and curriculums but also misrepresent the autonomy of our community members, who are free to engage with our resources as they see fit. We are committed to confronting these allegations in an open and accountable manner."<ref name="Portée">{{cite news |last1=Portée |first1=Alex |title=Is a 'twin flame' a soulmate? The meaning of the term, and why it's controversial |url=https://www.today.com/life/twin-flames-meaning-rcna123046 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |work=[[Today (American TV program)]] |date=November 7, 2023}}</ref>

==In media==
In 2020, ''Vanity Fair'' journalist Alice Hines became the first reporter to meet and interview the leaders of Twin Flames Universe in person.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |date=September 26, 2023 |title=Twin Flames Docuseries Dives Deeper Into Couple Behind Matchmaking Cult |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/09/twin-flames-docuseries-first-trailer |access-date=November 21, 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref> The group is the focus of the documentaries ''[[Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe]]'' (2023) and ''[[Escaping Twin Flames]]'' (2023).<ref name="Zornosa" /><ref name="Zornosa-1">{{cite magazine |last1=Zornosa |first1=Laura |title=The Story Behind the Docuseries Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe |url=https://time.com/6321502/twin-flames-universe-prime-video-documentary/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=October 6, 2023}}</ref>

[[CTV Television Network|CTV's]] ''[[W5 (TV program)|W5]]'' program aired a documentary about Twin Flames, titled ''We're Not a Cult: Inside Twin Flames Universe'', on March 22, 2025, which included interviews with the leaders and other high-ranking members as well as former members and whistleblowers. Conducted by investigative reporter [[Avery Haines]], it was the Divines' first on-camera interview with a major news outlet.<ref name="CTV">{{cite AV media |people= [[Avery Haines]] |title= We're Not a Cult: Inside Twin Flames Universe |medium= Television |publisher= [[CTV Television Network]] |location= Canada |date= March 23, 2025 |url= https://www.ctvnews.ca/video/2025/03/23/were-not-a-cult-inside-twin-flames-universe-w5/}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}

[[Category:2017 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ in Michigan]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:New Age organizations]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 2017]]
[[Category:Prosperity theologians]]
[[Category:Religious organizations based in Michigan]]
[[Category:Religious belief systems founded in the United States]]
[[Category:Self-declared messiahs]]
[[Category:Transgender topics and religion]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 2010s]]