Kathleen Irene Akin (Madhuri) Papers
Scope and Contents
Diaries and dream journals; personal correspondence; flat artifacts (e.g. business cards, records of transactions, certificates and awards); artwork; poems and stories, in both manuscript and published forms. Researchers may gain insight into the functionings of the Rajneeshpuram communal society in the late 20th century, as well as the life of a member after the collapse of the society.
Dates
- 1967-2012
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions governing access to this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Kathleen (Katy) Irene Akin (1952- ), also known as Irene Zelle Kathleen Akin or, later, Ma Prem Madhuri, was born in 1952 and spent her teenage years attending the alternative-education-based Free School in Riverside, California. At age 21, she was working as a poet in San Franciso, and visited Bombay with her mother. Shortly thereafter, by mid-1974, she returned to India, this time to stay: she joined the Poona-based commune led by master mystic Osho. While she was there, her first book, "Impassioned Cows by Moonlight," was published in New York, and she struggled with and overcame anorexia and sex addiction.
In 1981, Osho left India for medical treatment. Madhuri followed him to New Jersey and then to Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, where he had a second commune, called the Ranch. The Ranch collapsed in 1986 when Osho was arrested; upon his release, he returned to India, and Madhuri briefly followed, then left to travel the world. She spent time working as a psychic reader in Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, and China, before returning to Oregon to live with her mother as the result of worsening health.
In 2003, a friend gave her a ticket back to India, where she recieved emergency surgery to remove a benign but cytotoxic tumor from her brain lining. She made a complete recovery, and travelled to Hawaii and then Switzerland. That near-death experience, as well as her spiritual teachings and many lovers, are the topics of the bulks of her published works, primarily memoirs and collections of poetry and short prose.
Extent
7.5 Linear Feet (6 standard archival records center boxes, 1 half box, 4 binder boxes, and 1 four flap)
Language of Materials
English
Spanish; Castilian
Abstract
The Kathleen Irene Akin (Madhuri) Papers are the personal journals, correspondences, writings, and photographs of a longtime member of the Rajneeshpuram communal society, containing records from before, during, and after her memberships. Of particular note are a detailed account of the death of the leader of the society, a diary entry written on 9/11/01 recording the events as they unfolded, and detailed notes on the beliefs of the society.
Arrangement
The Kathleen Irene Akin (Madhuri) Papers are arranged by medium type, and then in chronological order within medium types. The papers are divided into six series: I.) Diaries, Journals, and Scrapbook; II.) Correspondence; III.) Artifacts, Ephemera, and Drawings; IV.) Publications and Stories; V.)Poetry, Cookbook, and Genealogy; VI.) Photographs and Artwork.
Original order was maintained as it was received by the creator. Oversized items (drawings and photographs) have been removed to a four-flap.
- Communalism Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Diaries Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Free love Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Poetry Subject Source: Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
- Postcards Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Rajneeshpuram (Or.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Spiritualism Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Travel Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- artifacts (object genre) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- drawings (visual works) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- newspapers Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- publications (document genre) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- textile art Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Author
- Dana Goettler
- Date
- Summer 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Hamilton College Special Collections Repository
Hamilton College
198 College Hill Road
Clinton NY 13323 United States
cgoodwil@hamilton.edu
