Conspirituality
A weekly study of converging right-wing conspiracy theories and faux-progressive wellness utopianism. At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon.
As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia.
Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.
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Bonus Sample: Anti-Masker at the Skating Trail
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2021-02-22Link to episode
39: How to Talk about Conspiracy Theories (w/ Anna Merlan)
We continue our rich conversation on the proximity of conspiracism and spiritual paths and the ways in which we fall into and climb out of fever dreams.
2021-02-19Link to episode
Bonus Sample: How to Debate on Social Media
Derek investigates three areas of research about how?and why?we need robust and progressive debates on our platforms.
2021-02-15Link to episode
38: Natural Hopes, Natural Fallacies (w/Drs Juniper Martin & Adriana Berusch)
Many of us came to yoga and wellness spaces to heal or flee from the alienation of modernity. We wanted something untouched by our cities and factories and labs; something that reminded us of a world we never really knew. ?Nature? was in such short supply that we had to invent it to colonize it anew, in exotic lands and mystical beasts: the deer whose...
2021-02-11Link to episode
Bonus Sample: The Devil & The Arrow of Time
Julian finds that when it comes to the fear of diabolical evil, the appeal of conspiracy patterns, and the missionary zeal of cults, everything old is new again.
2021-02-08Link to episode
37: Guru Jagat Cultjacks Kundalini Yoga (w/Philip Deslippe & Stacie Stukin)
Part 2 of Matthew?s interview with Kundalini Yoga scholar Philip Deslippe and journalist Stacie Stukin.
2021-02-05Link to episode
Bonus Sample: Michael Roach Meditates COVID Away
Cults will never let a good crisis go to waste. In this sample from our Monday Patreon bonus episode, Matthew looks at the COVID manipulation of Michael Roach.
2021-02-01Link to episode
36: Guru Jagat’s Pandemic Brandwash (w/Philip Deslippe & Stacie Stukin)
Kundalini Yoga was built on promising perfect health, the conversion of fear into love, and a golden age free from atheistic biotech. The reality is far different.
2021-01-29Link to episode
Hearing Voices, Seeing Colors, & Fighting Phantoms
In this bonus episode, Julian goes into more depth on Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and intense religious experience.
2021-01-26Link to episode
35: Séance Science (w/Susannah Crockford)
Channeling has been an especially appealing vector for conspirituality. We look at some of the gravest offenders, plus consider the science of consciousness.
2021-01-22Link to episode
34: Insurrectionist Influencers (w/RP Eddy)
What have our conspiritualists been up to in the wake of the attack on the Capitol? We run it down this week.
2021-01-15Link to episode
33: Manipulating the Hero?s Journey
Joseph Campbell created a blueprint. Modern wellness influencers exploit it.
2021-01-08Link to episode
32: Both Sides Pt 2: Healing & Sense-making in the New Year (w/Charles Eisenstein)
A rough tally of our labor from the inception of this podcast in May puts us at over 1,100 hours of treading water in the content sea of JP Sears, Mikki Willis, Christiane Northrup, and the rest of the gang. Are we getting our bearings yet? Will we see land soon? This episode is centered on Part 2 of Matthew?s discussion with Charles Eisenstein ?...
2021-01-01Link to episode
31: Bro Science: Anti-Vaxxers (w/Jonathan Berman)
As two coronavirus vaccines roll out we’re being flooded with more disinformation than ever. Wellness gurus are cashing in on home-made “natural” remedies by spreading unjustified fears about this vaccine, and vaccines in general. This week, we look at Dr. Christiane Northrup’s “line in the sand,” Mikki Willis revealing that he recently helped out the kids of Covington High and Kyle Rittenhouse, JP Sears getting...
2020-12-24Link to episode
Bonus: Solstice Light in the Man Cave
A tour through the trance states that charismatic men love and manipulate?how they carry streams of emotion that can never be transparently shared.
2020-12-22Link to episode
30: Are There Really Two Sides? (w/ Charles Eisenstein)
Who gets to take up space in critical times? How do we orient ourselves toward expertise? In a culture dominated by “experts” on social media, do charismatics outperform fact-checkers? This episode marks a milestone for our podcast, as Matthew interviews Charles Eisenstein, whose essay ?The Coronation? has cast a long shadow on our ongoing critique of how New Age and spiritual spaces interact with public...
2020-12-18Link to episode
29: Bro Science (w/Dr. Dan Wilson)
Bro Science is junk science spewed by men who believe their charisma is a substitute for training.
2020-12-11Link to episode
28: Resurrection of Jordan Peterson (w/Jeff Brown)
Heading inside of Jordan Peterson's imaginarium. Plus the launch of the Conspirituality Ticker.
2020-12-04Link to episode
Bonus: Yoga Teachers Are Not Doctors, Doctors Are Not Priests
Ultimately, the ?charismatic collapse? between doctor and priest distorts medicine and makes spirituality banal.
2020-11-30Link to episode
27: Finding Meaning (and Laughs) in Crisis (w/Alex Auder)
Though we’re all staying put this holiday season, we continue to super-spread our conspirituality vibes. This week we?re fielding listener questions for our first-ever non-Patreon AMA. During this episode, we’ll be talking about our own spiritual beliefs, finding meaning in crisis, Matthew being canceled, and more. For a holiday treat, Matthew interviews friend of the pod, the fabulous Alex Auder, about what it means to...
2020-11-25Link to episode
Bonus: Diversity Has Always Mattered
Derek discusses the importance of diversity in our discourse through three disciplines he loves: international music, fitness, and psychedelics.
2020-11-23Link to episode
26: Return of the Repressed, Or The Drugs Paula White is Not On (w/Brian Muraresku)
The psychedelic roots of Christianity, Paula White gets the Eminem treatment, laughing away your ignorance, and much more.
2020-11-20Link to episode
Bonus: Digital Soldiers, Purity Tests, & Word Magic
How do populist ideas on both the Right and Left identify ?the people? and their enemies? Julian investigates Balkanized social media audiences.
2020-11-16Link to episode
25: Waking Up from Cancel Culture (w/Clementine Morrigan & Jay from F*cking Cancelled)
Bonus: Sh*tposting and The Embodiment Conference
Matthew takes a big-picture look at Embodiment Conference founder, Mark Walsh.
2020-11-09Link to episode
24: Body Politic Recovery (w/Tada Hozumi)
Election week in America: the virus will be with us for some time to come.
2020-11-06Link to episode
Bonus: COVID Fatigue & Empathy (w/Dr. Ali Haider)
Derek talks with Dr. Ali Haider about being on the frontlines of COVID-19. Dr. Haider is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts University Medical School. He received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Dr. Haider is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, and vascular ultrasound. He is well versed in all aspects of...
2020-11-02Link to episode
23: Election Resilience (w/Hala Khouri, Lissa Rankin, and Tara Stiles)
With an election only days away, we reflect on how to manage our stress and fears in this moment.
2020-10-30Link to episode
Bonus: Hay House & New Age Jesus
22: Racism & Fraud in New Age Publishing (w/Rebekah Borucki & Dr Jay Mohan)
Rebekah Borucki joins in as our first guest host to discuss leaving her position at New Age publisher, Hay House.
2020-10-23Link to episode
Bonus: A Letter to a Friend in a Cult
21: Om-ed and Dangerous: Militant Wellness (w/Sarah Hightower)
Bonus: The White Yogi, The Brown Activist, and the Evil Billionaire
Julian focuses on a recent article circulating in the yogasphere making dubious claims.
2020-10-12Link to episode
20: The Second Wave: Pastel Q Goes Undercover (w/Ben Lee)
The second wave is here: Pastel Q devotees are out in full force as the election approaches.
2020-10-09Link to episode
Bonus: Bullying Gates, Bullying Biden: The Conspiracy of Male Violence
19: Hurtling Into the Q-Hole (w/Mike Rains)
Thirty-two days out from the election and every hour reveals another layer of intensity. The more widely conspirituality and QAnon spreads, the more normalized mundane political violence becomes. In this episode, Derek looks at how the virus of conspiracism is now overtly threatening the basic premises of voting, as Emperor Trump projects a fiction about electoral fraud, even as he loses his clothes. Matthew looks...
2020-10-01Link to episode
Bonus: Demons in QAnon & Beyond (w/Professor Jonathan O’Donnell)
Demonology expert Jonathon O?Donnell talks with Matthew about demons in QAnon.
2020-09-28Link to episode
18: From Psych Meds to Red Pills (w/Jules Evans)
We discuss Matthew's recent deep dive into Kelly Brogan and Sayer Ji. British philosopher Jules Evans joins the conversation.
2020-09-25Link to episode
17: The Politics of QAnon Spirituality (w/Seane Corn & Jared Yates Sexton)
Seane Corn and Jared Yates Sexton join this week to discuss QAnon, wellness, and American history.
2020-09-17Link to episode
16: So You Want to Save the Earth? (w/John Roulac)
15: Tantra: Sex, Death, & Chaos (w/Alex Auder)
We explore Tantra old and new, share personal stories, and take a comedy break with Alex Auder.
2020-09-03Link to episode
14: The Problem with Revelation: Psychedelics and Conspiracies (w/Lorna Liana)
We discuss the effect conspiracy theories are having on psychedelics enthusiasts.
2020-08-27Link to episode
13: Religion Can Be A Dangerous Verb (w/Dr Theo Wildcroft)
Finally, we take on Big Essential Oil. Theo Wildcroft returns to discuss conspiritualists in religion.
2020-08-20Link to episode
12: So You Want To Stop Child Abuse (w/Regan Williams & Dr Theo Wildcroft)
Theo Wildcroft and Regan Williams join the conversation to discuss real-world ways to stop child abuse.
2020-08-14Link to episode
11: Cults and Disaster Spirituality
Julian and Matthew discuss their experiences being indoctrinated into cults.
2020-08-07Link to episode
10: The Anti-Vaxx Agenda (w/Imran Ahmed)
The dangers of anti-vaxx propaganda and how social media platforms profit from it.
2020-07-30Link to episode
9: Ableism in Conspiracy Theories (w/Jivana Heyman)
Accessible Yoga founder, Jivana Heyman, joins the podcast to discuss ableism in conspiracy theories.
2020-07-23Link to episode
8: Taking Dr. Christiane Northrup Seriously (w/ Professor Jacqueline Antonovich)
Professor Jacqui Antonovich of Nursing Clio discusses the history of charisma, magic, and entrepreneurship in women's wellness.
2020-07-16Link to episode
7: Doctoring COVID: Christiane Northrup’s Great Truther Awakening (w/Britt Hermes)
6: Grappling with the Cult of Trump (w/Steven Hassan)
Cult expert Steve Hassan joins this week to discuss his latest book, "The Cult of Trump."
2020-07-03Link to episode