User:Kittycataclysm/sandbox/Shakuntali Siberia

Shakuntali Siberia is a new-age spiritual leader. She has self-described as an "Englightened woman" and shaman priestess. She may also go by the mononym 'Madonna'.

Personal life
Little information has been released about Siberia's personal life. She has stated in interviews that she was born Russian to "normal parents", and that at the age of 12 she escaped from a mental hospital to live with a shaman in the forest. She has also asserted that she is the reincarnation of an Ukok princess. Her legal name is not public, and Siberia herself has stated that her assumed name is a "spiritual" or "soul" name. An ex-follower of hers has alleged that Siberia's real name is Victoria Novak, but this remains unsubstantiated.

Under the mononym Madonna, Siberia claims to have come from the star Sirius.

Siberia has claimed to have a doctorate in psychology, although in interviews she has been unable to support this claim, and it remains unsubstantiated.

Siberia stated in 2020 that she has no physical residence, spending most of her time traveling.

Initiatives
Siberia has repeatedly emphasized a desire to help empower women and help humanity. She has previously stated that all of the proceeds from her classes and seminars are donated to charities, including those affected by homelessness and natural disaster. She holds various seminars emphasizing feminine power and spirituality.

Claims
Siberia has claimed on multiple occasions that her biological aging stopped at 19 years old, and she has attributed this to high metabolism. She has also claimed to possess clairvoyance and the ability to see through books, and she has claimed that she "cannot be wrong".

Medical
Siberia has claimed that COVID-19 is caused by depression and a lack of personal purpose, stating that it is a spiritual disease. During the pandemic, she held spiritual sessions claimed to heal individuals of the coronavirus. Siberia has claimed to have healed over 1,000 people. She has also asserted that it is good to have high blood pressure.

Criticism and response
On May 2, 2020, the investigative journalism podcast Oh No, Ross and Carrie! released their 242nd episode, entitled "Carrie Meets Shakuntali Siberia: Unfalsifiability Edition". The episode featured a personal interview between the podcast host Carrie Poppy and Siberia, focused largely on Siberia's claims of healing. In the interview, Poppy asked Siberia about her childhood and education, and probed Siberia about her various claims. Siberia declined to provide proof to support the claim that she possesses a doctorate in psychology or that she has tutored at Siberia Federal University. Siberia also requested that the episode not be aired, but the episode was published in its entirety.

On May 1, 2020, one day before the podcast episode aired, Siberia posted a video to her personal YouTube channel. In the video, she alludes to "gossip" about her and "dark forces" that challenge her, asserting that her desire is to help humanity and bring love and happiness. She also denies a need or desire for money. On May 7, Siberia posted a video where she calls for those who criticize others to apologize, stating that critics "destroy [the] soul".

On September 21, 2020, Oh No, Ross and Carrie! followed up on their initial interview and released episode 260, an interview with two former followers of Siberia. The two discuss their involvement with Siberia and her movement, describing in detail a spiritual retreat in Kazakhstan as well as their departure from the movement. They report various concerns, including underfeeding participants in a spiritual retreat, isolating participants, and concealing their whereabouts.

On September 13 Siberia posted a video describing previous "students" who had left her, stating that they "are under the influence of darkness" and may spread gossip. She tells her followers that ex-students may contact them, and she asks her followers not to interact with these contacts or messages that have "dark energy".

Media presence
As of April 2022, Siberia's personal website (shakuntali.com) has been taken down, but various pages remain archived and can be accessed through The Internet Archive. A separate website has since been published featuring Siberia, although on this site she is referred to as 'Madonna'. Her personal YouTube channel still exists, but as of April 2022 she has not personally appeared in any of the posted videos since September 2020. She has, however appeared in videos on the Madonna channel as recently as January 2022.