If you’ve seen the new docuseries Escaping Twin Flames on Netflix, you may be wondering where Twin Flames Universe owners Jeff and Shaleia Divine are now.
From Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner, the filmmakers behind the Emmy-winning Starz docuseries Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, Netflix’s Escaping Twin Flames unravels the story of how the Divines created an internet business empire on the concept that they could help people find and keep their one true love.
But through interviews with former Twin Flames Universe members and the estranged families of those still inside the group, a much darker picture emerges. The docuseries levels several accusations against the Divines, including that Twin Flames Universe is a high-control group that encourages members to detach from their families and participate in abusive behaviors.
The Divines have strongly denied all accusations against them and their businesses.
What Is Twin Flames Universe?
Twin Flames Universe is an online community in which the Divines provide coaching to help people find their one true love and overcome spiritual blockages getting in the way of their goals. They say that they are able to determine through spiritual means whether or not two people are “twin flames” or ultimate soulmates.
Jeff describes how he and Shaleia started Twin Flames Universe during a time of extreme poverty — which they later grew into a religion called Unionism that they run through the Church of Union — in his bio on the Church of Union website,
“On the brink of total destitution, their book ‘Twin Flames: Finding Your Ultimate Lover’ was born, which was to become the guidebook to Harmonious Twin Flame Union, that others might share in the infinite ecstasy and bliss of Harmonious Twin Flame Union,” the bio reads.
“Having hit social and financial rock bottom, and with nothing but God, each other, and the teaching, they rose up from the ashes of their old lives to give birth to what would become Unionism.”
The Twin Flames Universe website defines a Twin Flame Union as a “spiritual state wherein both Twin Flames are awakened to their Twin Flame connection and have mutually agreed to be exclusively committed to each other. In Union, at least one Twin Flame is studying the Teachings of Union and actively engaged in the spiritual work of aligning their consciousness with Love, with the goal of attaining their permanent Harmonious Union.”
The Divines have since created multiple business offshoots from Twin Flames Universe, including the Church of Union, a meal plan and cookbook, the Twin Flame Ascension School where members can become coaches, and the Mind Alignment Process (MAP) which they say helps participants heal trauma.
In the docuseries, a woman named Angie is among many former Twin Flames Universe members to speak out against the group.
“What Jeff and Shaleia do has nothing to do with love. It’s control,” Angie, whose last name is withheld, says in the docuseries. “When someone tries to control you, it’s not love. When someone abuses you, when someone calls you names, it’s not love.”
Who Are Jeff and Shaleia Divine?
Born Jeff Ayan, in 2011, Jeff moved to Hawaii and briefly changed his name to Ender Ayanethos. Between 2012 and 2013, he met Shaleia, born Meghan Plante. They got married in 2016 and went into business together, later changing their last name to Divine. They offered relationship coaching before starting Twin Flames Universe in 2017, according to the docuseries.
Jeff is from Michigan and attended the business school at Western Michigan University. Shaleia is from Canada, but was living in Sedona, Arizona when she first met Jeff online, according to the Church of Union website.
Where Are Jeff and Shaleia Divine Now?
The Divines currently live in a home in the hills overlooking Lake Michigan, according to the Church of Union website. Their daughter, Grace, born in April 2023.
As of November 2023, the Twin Flames Universe Facebook group had 71,000 members and they have 40,000 followers on Instagram. Their workshops, e-courses, and coaching packages are still for sale on the Twin Flames Universe website, ranging from $111 to $8,888.
In a statement posted on the Twin Flames Universe website, they denied all the accusations against them in the Netflix docuseries.
“We take seriously recent allegations implying we wield inappropriate control over our community members. After a careful review of both media coverage and recent productions, we are saddened that so much effort has gone into taking swipes at an organization and community founded on love and mutual respect. 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,” reads one part of the statement.
A statement at the end of the first episode of Escaping Twin Flames addresses an investigation into TFU by police in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
“In 2020, the Farmington Hills Police Department investigation TFU and ‘were unable to determine that any crimes took place in Farmington Hills.’ They forwarded their report to the FBI for review of ‘possible federal crimes,'” the statement reads.
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All three episodes of Escaping Twin Flames are now streaming on Netflix.