# International School of Temple Arts

The International School of Temple Arts (ISTA) is an organization which describes itself as promoting sexual healing and healthy attitudes towards sex. ISTA claims its workshops address the spiritual aspects of sex.
ISTA was founded in 2007 by Baba Dez Nichols in Arizona, as a non-profit organization.
Baba Dez Nichols has not been part of ISTA leadership since 2015. He ceased facilitating ISTA trainings in 2019, and he is no longer a member of the ISTA Lead Faculty.
ISTA teachings are influenced by Neotantra and western interpretations of shamanism.
Nudity and other practices believed to occur at ISTA have caused controversy and opposition to establishment of ISTA seminars at some locations.

## Controversy

Journalist Anke Richter stated to the Byron Shire Echo that "There was a covert harem culture at ISTA. Male pioneers surrounded themselves with young female lovers, often from their trainings, who were then accelerated to apprentices and facilitators". Some senior members of the organisation have been accused of performing sex acts on meeting participants without consent or pressuring them to consent to sex acts.
In 2021 the organisation said that they had temporary implemented a policy of not allowing Temple Training teachers to have sex with participants.
In a The Cut (New York) article several of ISTA's teachers were accused of sexual misconduct and other questionable practices. Pele Ohad Ezrahi was accused that during a 2021 party hosted by Ezrahi, a 20-year-old woman was given multiple doses of MDMA by Ezrahi and was sexually assaulted by him while drugged. There are multiple reports accusing Ezrahi of coercing sexual activities with students during ISTA events. Bruce Lyon was accused by Baba Dez in a letter dated September 2, 2024, that Lyon's Highden Temple was associated with incidents of rape, trauma, and suicide. Dez himself was accused of pressuring students into sexual activities during ISTA workshops. He allegedly also propagated the belief that sexual interactions with male leaders could be healing for women, a concept referred to by some former assistants as "the magical cock." Michal Maayan Don was accused that dismissing a claim that a female participant was raped during a ritual at a Level 2 training, suggesting that everyone has a "predator" inside them and implying that the participant's experience was due to her own inner imbalance.
Additionally, several former seminar participants reported they have suffered from psychosis due to their participation in ISTA seminars.

### ISTA's Response to Controversy

In November 2024, ISTA issued a public response addressing controversies related to its activities. These included claims and reports featured in European and New Zealand media outlets, allegations that ISTA operates as a cult, and a declaration about the organization made by the Israeli Center for Cult Victims. This also addressed public support for the declaration by Steven Hassan, a recognized expert on cult dynamics. Additionally, ISTA responded to allegations of harassment by critics targeting its venues, staff, and participants, as well as accusations concerning ceremonial animal sacrifice rituals and Satanism at its trainings. Finally, the organization clarified its involvement in the planned "Shamanic Love Camp", an event proposed to take place at Auschwitz concentration camp, which ultimately did not occur. ISTA said it had implemented new accountability policies to deal with complaints about misconduct.