Label: conspiracy theories

Conspirituality/Conspiracy spirituality

Conspirituality/Conspiracy spirituality

"Conspirituality takes a deep dive into the troubling phenomenon of influencers who have curdled New Age spirituality and wellness with the politics of paranoia-peddling vaccine misinformation, tales of child trafficking, and wild conspiracy theories. […]

[T]his expansive and revelatory book unpacks the follies, frauds, cons and cults that dominate the New Age and wellness spheres and betray the trust of people who seek genuine relief in this uncertain age.”

Released later in June.

https://www.bokus.com/bok/9781541702981/conspirituality/

Narcissism and conspiracy belief

Narcissism and conspiracy belief

Some thoughts, based on the title and abstract. That thing with state and trait? Boosted narcissism as something you are, basically. Or more like something that a certain system of thought might tempt. For conspiracy theories, even the most far-reaching ones, Trump as a Savior, chemtrails, etc., there are lots of people who are attracted by such world explanations. Sure, there is something "narcissistic" about it. Us and them. The darkness, the threat, the stupidity are on the outside, etc. But is it narcissism. For real?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X22001051?via%3Dihub

In defense of the conspiracy theorists! 2

In defense of the conspiracy theorists! 2

Conspiracy theories, again. There is the whole scale, I think (much like in that one the "pyramid" from MSB). From the confirmed theories, which we know today were correct. Via the possibly true, over the probably not true. To the completely crazy theories.

And I myself think that at least the worst theories contain some projective component. This means that one's own darkness, or mostly worry, confusion, is placed "out there". Or that actual abuses are somehow amplified, or what to call it, in one's imaginations. A petty damn unfair world becomes thoroughly, planned and thought out, damn.

Okay. But I wanted to try to see it from a different angle. A more conciliatory stance. If such conspiracy fantasies can also serve a healthy function? To some extent anyway. That it is almost like a reflex in the soul. An attempt to remedy an imbalance. Because the world has been "demystified" to an all too high degree. Something that came with the Enlightenment, natural science, etc. And for which no one can really be held accountable. It just happened that way.

But that it is almost like a cultural deficiency state. Kind of like something you need to take a nutritional supplement for, because of our modern life, depleted soils, etc?

PS Here is "part 1" ... Rev.

Carl Raschke was something on the track

Carl Raschke was something on the track

I'm guessing this is the harshest thing ever said or written by a researcher on new age/new spirituality. The quote was in some local newspaper, as I remember it, from the north of the USA or Canada.

Carl Raschke has been controversial, committed himself against Satanism, among others. Philosopher and theologian. Professor at the University of Denver. Got scolded by colleagues who thought he was too alarmist, one-eyed.

Still, I feel he had a point. (I guess that's why I even ordered a copy of that article once.) I think I understand what he was reacting to. Other assessors have taken up about the same in the "holistic" world of thought, but expressed themselves more sensitively.

Today, when I see what some acquaintances have started to link and share, for example on Facebook, I am horrified. What is going on? What has happened?

Criticism of the authorities' handling of the Covid-19 epidemic. Okay. But it's like a certain kind of mistrustful, authority-defying thinking has released all inhibitions & become slightly paranoid. Criticism of vaccines is mixed with Jewish conspiracy, Illuminati, that Trump is the one who will save us, etc. Anything goes, it seems. It's a pure upside-down world, if you ask me.

Perhaps the potential has always been there, it just hasn't been fully realized. Until now when the phenomenon of new age/new spirituality itself has sort of mutated into a nasty virus you haven't seen before.

Raschke was on to something.

The first casualty of war is the truth

The first casualty of war is the truth

An acquaintance posted this picture on Facebook. It was stated to show massive demonstrations taking place in Paris, due to the government's corona restrictions. The message was something like: "Look at the French, they certainly don't allow themselves to be subdued." And the post had already had time to get satisfied, understanding thanks-for-sharing comments.

Certainly the French are a protesting people, but this seemed quite unlikely, as I noted. But what could it be instead? I shot from the hip. Celebrating French after winning football in 2018? Maybe demonstrations in support of Charlie Hebdo in 2015?

But words stood against words, as it were. None of us could know what was true, my acquaintance said. In the absence of evidence, one opinion carried as much weight as the other. In a weak moment, I wrote that if I spent a quarter of an hour on it, it would surely be possible to find where the picture actually came from.

It turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought. Finally, at least I found a picture I felt sure represented the same crowd. From the same occasion, from roughly the same angle. The text is in Polish, so I'm not entirely sure

https://tomaszmajewskishow.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/co-robic-alternatywa-polskiego-euromajdanu/

But it doesn't seem to have been Paris, to begin with. Moscow? And the text was from 2014.

This is just an example. On I don't know what really. In any case, it is disinformation. Which is usually passed on in good faith. In war and love everything is permitted? […]

Of course, if you claim that a photo like this depicts physical reality, a certain place or time, and it doesn't (as in this case), then it's blatantly wrong. Fake. But you can see it as an illustration of an emotional reality, for some. That this is how it feels, "we are many", that you wish, hope. That it should look like this, etc.

In fact, do you estimate that about twenty thousand were out on the streets of Paris and protested at most? But the number grew week by week. Lots of it, but not as in the picture. (The pictures. I found others with the same acquaintance, which were actually from the win in football in 2018. And the "yellow vests" protests against increased petrol tax this year, etc.)

When the glow fades

When the glow fades

And what is the difference between a hopeful, alternative-thinking person, with sunshine in his eyes, and a grumpy, slightly paranoid misanthrope, then?

About thirty, forty years 😉

Here you will get an example of really weak, bad science. A quote I put in my pocket many years ago. And have picked it up many times since then. By (hold on!) an anonymous writer on a blog who referenced personal communication with an unnamed researcher... But what does it matter! When the intelligence itself is like gold. In the area where psychology and (new) spirituality overlap...

"I suspect that what's going on is that the New Age, now entering its third generation, has developed a theodicy. Now, this is a theological term, but it essentially means an explanation of the existence of evil – why bad things happen to good people.

For some of those in the New Age milieu – Foster Gamble, David Icke, Whitley Strieber, Duncan Rhodes and others, all incidentally in middle age and with a long term involvement in the New Age milieu – an explanation is needed as to why, if we've entered the Age of Aquarius, is the world less peaceful, equal and progressive than ever? Conspiracy theories offer such a theodicy – ​​the New Age hasn't happened because evil people prevented it from happening.”

Muertos, 2012

A quote on the same theme. Here it is about the kind of psychology that talks about "elevated" states to strive for & achieve... Paul Vitz, from the book "Psychology as Religion", 1977:

"Second, as people aged, they realized that many of the things thought necessary for self-actualization would not be attainable in their lives. Besides interpersonal disasters, there were career failures, serious health problems, and many other disappointments. The discrepancy between the promised 'high' of the Maslovian self-actualization or Jungian individuation and the reality of their lives created a vast disappointment and 'credibility gap.' The belief that psychology could make you happy, that it was the answer, began to fade.”

'It Was Like a Cult': Leaving the World of Online Conspiracy Theories

'It Was Like a Cult': Leaving the World of Online Conspiracy Theories

Stephanie Wittschier believed in a lot of different things throughout her life: that aliens were locked away in Area 51; that the Third Reich was alive and well, along with the Illuminati, and—last but not least—that ruling elites were using chemtrails to poison humanity.

Interesting article by Alexander Krützfeldt (Broadly Germany, 2016-04-21).

Evil

Evil

Rudeness and cruelty have their basis in a lack of experience or knowledge. These are stages that all individuals need to have passed through. The perfect people have this behind them: "Well, then you must have gone from being a murderer, or whatever you want, to something... to having done something good. To have been through it all, and that takes many incarnations.”

Arlebrand (1992) writes: "Since occultism perceives everything in physical reality as manifestations of the divine, the existence of evil becomes a problem to explain" (p. 197). The author states a few different explanatory models within alternative spirituality: Evil can be seen as an illusion, as an energy that is in the wrong place, as an imbalance between cosmic principles, or simply as "the unpleasant good".

With increasing age, it can be expected that the pressure of and awareness of the realities increases. In the material there are some descriptions that give the impression of being conspiracy theories, for example that the authorities cover up the fact that we are being visited by aliens, or that the security services of different countries are cooperating to find the reincarnated Adolf Hitler. Even more moderate criticism of or distrust of the establishment can have elements of conspiracy theory. This seems to contradict other parts of the worldview which emphasize that it is the individual himself who creates his destiny and that no one else really has any influence over this. It is possible that conspiracy theories and the like can be seen as projective phenomena that become a way of dealing with such increased internal pressure. Muertos (2012, January 28) writes about some of the leading figures of the new spirituality, who have now reached middle age:

I suspect that what's going on is that the New Age, now entering its third generation, has developed a theodicy. Now, this is a theological term, but it essentially means an explanation of the existence of evil – why bad things happen to good people. For some of those in the New Age milieu – Foster Gamble, David Icke, Whitley Strieber, Duncan Rhodes and others, all incidentally in middle age and with a long term involvement in the New Age milieu – an explanation is needed as to why, if we've entered the Age of Aquarius, is the world less peaceful, equal and progressive than ever? Conspiracy theories offer such a theodicy – ​​the New Age hasn't happened because evil people prevented it from happening (Muertos, 2012, January 28).

Vitz (1977) is on similar lines of thought based on the promises of mental sovereignty that came, among other things, with humanistic psychology:

Second, as people aged, they realized that many of the things thought necessary for self-actualization would not be attainable in their lives. Besides interpersonal disasters, there were career failures, serious health problems, and many other disappointments. The discrepancy between the promised "high" of the Maslovian self-actualization or Jungian individuation and the reality of their lives created a vast disappointment and "credibility gap." The belief that psychology could make you happy, that it was the answer, began to fade (Vitz, 1977, Kindle location 2231).

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