A Former Member of Eckankar Revisits Eck

Authors Note: The following is a cover story I wrote for the San Diego Reader, which was published June 22, 1995, under the title "Hi Fubbi, this is Gakko: Former Eckankar Member Revisits the Movement," a title I did not choose. This version is my original version before the Reader made several minor editorial changes. The Reader was quite supportive and allowed me free rein as far as style and content goes. Their main concern was that I make the article be about San Diego, a requirement that ended up being a lot of fun. I never would have written the extravagant sunset paragraph without it, for instance. In my article the sun literally rises and sets in San Diego. Focusing so much on place emphasized for me that this was a journey, both metaphorically and physically.