Note: The content of this post reflects the opinion of the guest author. Personally, I find it very substantial and will read it several times myself to fully absorb it.
How it all began
I was sitting in my car. It was raining outside. The engine was running so that the car heater could keep me warm. As raindrops fell outside, tears streamed down my cheeks. And on the back seat lay the last sweater my fresh ex-girlfriend handed me at her apartment door. I was lost.
Years before, I had approached dozens of women on the street as a pickup artist, but after my first breakup with my first girlfriend, I made a decision: Never manipulate again. Never do pickup again.
As I sat in the car after the second breakup, the thought came to me, “Maybe I should just do pickup again” – but in a “better form.” Weeks later, a friend told me about Orlando Owen. MagickMale was supposed to be this “better form,” the “better way” to pickup, and still be able to give me what I wanted: a new girlfriend.
My Salvation: MagickMale
Orlando’s video “What is Male Essence?” really struck a chord with me – I saw myself in it and felt understood. Swiftly, I signed up for the newsletter. I listened to countless podcasts. Then I ordered the Foundations.
The Foundations became my favorite program. I consumed one video after another, like a line of cocaine. And because “repetition is the key to success” is the motto, I listened to Orlando every day. At that time, it significantly expanded my worldview, and I became aware of many painful mistakes. I loved this version of Orlando the most.
He had something down-to-earth and worked with a lot of humor. The program, in my opinion, was also more relaxed compared to the newer ones, like the MBS or the FD, where a development turns into a painful, rustic “hero’s journey” – or in the MBS, where everything only works with enough “bucket work.”
As to whether Orlando is even American is questionable – but in my opinion, this typical American exaggeration is evident. I think this characteristic runs through all his programs and complements his presumably pronounced narcissistic tendencies quite well.
Transformative Tools and New Emotional Worlds
MagickMale caught me during a life crisis. I felt understood and supported by MagickMale. And: I had tools to work with. MagickMale taught me gratitude and mindfulness. MagickMale also gave me the courage to change – especially concerning my “purpose in life” – or rather, my life path and my specific career path. Because: I learned to FEEL, especially through the trance audios that Orlando offers in his online products.
I particularly find the trance audios “Behind The Matrix” and “Color Anchoring” excellent, and I still listen to them occasionally. Orlando always gives the example of the video of the stupid boy (for all MM among us). That was me – but on an emotional level. Through accessing my emotions via the trance audios, I learned to make decisions. To this day, I make my decisions courageously based on my intuition.
I also find Orlando’s use of metaphors very successful. All the stories, from the bicycle smuggler metaphor for life purpose to the “emotional navigation system” or the image of ships rising when the water level rises. All these stories, and more, have deeply influenced me, and I even use some of them with my clients when working with metaphors.
Concrete Changes After a Workshop
I attended one of the last FAMPs, around 2017, I believe. And the FAMP had quite an impact – especially when we did a letting go / boundary-setting ritual in the workshop. During this ritual, I disconnected myself from my then best toxic friend. And indeed, when I came back, I ended the friendship with him.
In retrospect, it was one of the best decisions of my life. I looked for better, more loving friends. I even manifested one – whom I “coincidentally” met on the subway. By the way, I do believe in manifesting, just not exactly how Orlando preaches it. But more on that below.
A new chapter had begun in my life, and I started with a lot of strength. I owe that, among other things, to MagickMale.
The FAMP was exactly what I needed at that time – a provocative, loving kick in the ass that, if it could speak to me, would have said, “You’ve got this – have faith in yourself and the universe.”
The MagickMale Process: Difference vs. Training
I find Orlando’s MagickMale Process to be a very successful model. I must say that I now have my own coaching practice – and I have devoted myself to psychological counseling in a 5-year training and a 2-year study – and now I view Orlando’s content through the lens of coaching and training.
Which brings me to the following point: Orlando, in my opinion, is not a coach as I understand it, but rather a trainer. Coaching supports the client in constructing their reality and developing their own solutions. In training, the goal is to impart concepts and therefore “impose someone else’s worldview – a reality construct” on others.
Disrespectful
Opinions that don’t perfectly fit into the MM worldview are not acknowledged at MagickMale. If MagickMale or the methodology is criticized or questioned, participants are excluded, messages are deleted, or the participant is portrayed as “stupid” or “incompetent.” If you read a list of “characteristics of a cult” on the internet, you will quickly notice that some characteristics fit; including “restrictions on freedom of expression by group members.”
This behavior is unfortunately also common among former collaborators of Orlando – whether it’s Manuel Ehrenmann, Felix N., or Christian. Orlando not only completely distorted their representation but also insulted them. Not only is this behavior unprofessional, but it is also disrespectful beyond measure.
For example, if you look at Felix’s statement – or talk to old collaborators (I also conducted an interview with a former one) – you will find that they express their concerns or sadness, but they always do so with respect!
My Departure
My departure was gradual. Orlando had changed. There was Orlando 1, whom I knew from the podcasts, the “Foundations,” or the “Getting Back Together” program. At that time, in my opinion, Orlando was less intrusive and more down-to-earth. But then, especially with the launch of the big flagship programs MBS and FD, Orlando became more and more radical, intrusive, and political. I had long lost interest in the forum.
Full of personally eccentric characters who had no clue about the world, respect, or communication. The FD became “too much fanfare” for me, and it started to lean towards show hypnosis, and in the MBS, I was now supposed to willingly listen to right-wing political opinions that were not conducive to the program’s goals.
Why Orlando Doesn’t Do Real Coaching, Marketing, and What Helped Me Further
Real coaching and training have a goal: the client’s goal. I have the impression that here, the only goal is to impose an opinion under the guise of “coaching.” During that time, I also became a client of other coaches (e.g., systemic coaches, NLP coaches, provocative counselors, hypnosis coaches, systemic constellations, and even shamans). I had to complete many of them as part of my own psychological training – and I can highly recommend it.
How coaching can vary – and how authentic coaching really works. If I had listened to Orlando’s “those run-of-the-mill coaches…” advice, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. “Run-of-the-mill” coaches may not have such good marketing (which, by the way, is Felix N.’s achievement) – but many of them likely have more competence, self-reflection, and, above all, a respectful attitude and a genuine, high ethical standard.
I’m surprised, actually, as Orlando undoubtedly studied ethics during his psychology studies – but maybe he was busy shoplifting spray cans at the supermarket at that time.
I personally don’t mind that Orlando is a stage name, and I don’t consider it relevant – it’s just marketing.
The Laziness of Men and the “Law of Attraction”
There are no ideas from Orlando that I “tested” more than these.
“Simply tune into the ultimate feeling you want to have… become/be the man, and then the women will come automatically.”
I mentioned the trance audios earlier and even referred to them as excellent. And yes, when I immerse myself in them, I become “high on life” and gain access to very pleasant emotional states.
For a year and a half, I listened to the manifestation trance audios 4-5 times a week. I even scheduled them in my calendar with the same discipline as my workouts. And I enjoyed doing them. As I said, I often imagined beautiful situations with women, from “how my dream woman would feel, how I would feel with her…” to the feeling of “being completely in tune with my purpose and living it.” To quote Roland, as he jokingly says in Bavarian: “And did it help him?”
Guys, I’m telling you: I fell asleep with good feelings every time. However, what brought me results with women and also in terms of my purpose was being proactive. There is also a world between “act, act, act like a motivational trainer” and “manifesting while floating in a deep trance on cloud 33.”
For me, it works like this: having a vision, writing down the necessary goals, creating a plan, and breaking it down into small achievable to-dos. Defining a realistic deadline and doing one thing at a time. Welcome to the basic course in project management. 🙂
Without lounging around on the couch and without feeling the pressure to achieve everything today.
So, I regularly approached women – sometimes at the university library, sometimes on the bus, sometimes while partying at night, and at concerts. I got numbers and had numerous beautiful romantic experiences. Maybe it’s because I had manifested for so long, or maybe not at all? 🙂
I believe that Orlando is simply trying to offer “solutions for the lazy” – mere illusions of progress – so that people feel like they are working on themselves, but in reality, nothing substantial happens, and they keep filling Roland’s coffers with more money.
If something works, it’s Orlando’s merit. If something doesn’t work, it’s the participant’s fault. What a brilliant business model!
Appeal to Orlando
Dear Orlando,
I have no idea whether you will read this or not. I hope you can take this feedback well. I want to express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart for being there with your content, especially during my time of crisis. Also, thanks for the FAMP, which had a profound impact on me. If I could wish something from you, it would be for you to overcome your narcissism.
I wish you would recognize that you don’t have all the answers and that you adopt a more constructive, systemic approach – which would probably lead to a greater tolerance for feedback and criticism and a more honest and sincere exchange in the MagickMales forum and, above all, with yourself. I wish you would appreciate other coaches and other methods of psychotherapy and coaching. Be open to trying them out and offering them to your clients because I believe you genuinely care about the well-being of the MagickMales.
And I wish that with this message of “respecting each other and being flexible enough to embrace other worldviews,” you would go out into the world. The community would undoubtedly be grateful to you because a systemic mindset would automatically have positive effects there as well. So you would not only create a better and more self-effective life for yourself but also for hundreds or thousands of people.
But honestly, Orlando: do you want that? Or is it more important to showcase yourself, let your narcissism flourish, and keep pouring money into your coffers? What would your loving parents wish for you?
Appeal to Felix
Dear Felix,
Thank you for your contribution. Even though I could only perceive it gradually, I want to thank you for organizing Feel Different and the FAMP. And thank you for the entire infrastructure – the member area always being so clear and visually appealing, the support being fast and competent, and for making MM so big – because I would probably have never heard of MagickMale and stuck with it if the newsletter… etc. hadn’t been so good! I hope you are doing well and wish you all the best for your future.
Appeal to Patrick
So, dear Patrick,
You wanted an article that highlights the positive side of MagickMale. Here it is, I hope I succeeded. Nevertheless, we live in a polarized world. So, in my opinion, reporting only the positive side is not possible if you want to be honest. That’s why I also included the negative aspects. A polarized world: masculine and feminine, day and night, warm and cold, positive and negative – to quote Goethe: “Where there is much light, there is also strong shadow.”
Conclusion
Yes, you can become the man you truly want to be in your heart. By working on your issues with the tools/methods that best suit you, with the coaches/therapists who fit you. It won’t happen overnight, but it doesn’t have to be 2 years of bucket work in the MBS either.
Perhaps there are light and shadow for some people. In my life, there are more states. Like water – in the form of snow and ice, in the form of steam, like in the sauna, when it’s hot, and in the form of liquid, like the tears in my eyes when my ex broke up with me, and I sat in the car. And even the tears evaporated in the air.
This text was automatically translated from German to English by ChatGTP. Accept my apology for any errors.
