I was a member before there was a charge but then let it drop because I'd never heard of paying to participate in a forum. After I went to the Awake and Aware Conference in Burbank, I was so inspired that I decided to make the donation and join for a whole year - 3 months later the forum was opened to the public. I'm not asking for my money back but it was a bit of a shock to say the least. I'm not bitchin' - I'm just sayin.
We are all adult intelligent human beings seeking the truth without going too far down that rabbit whole to find it. I don't think we need to go that deep to find the truth - we know it can be cold, dank, and very muddy and merky at the bottom.