American New Age culture isn’t all crystals and Tarot cards. A New World Order? The Aryan race? Alien-human hybrids? Throughout history, New Age belief systems have so often been blended with wild, and sometimes dangerous, conspiracy theories that academics have coined the term “conspirituality.” This week, we journey into murky waters of Love Has Won, a New Age spiritual group whose leader passed away in 2021. By the time authorities found her body that April, she had been dead for weeks. Her followers had camped with her body, slept with it in tents, and crossed state lines to fashion a shine out of her mummified corpse. We’re joined by journalist and author Leah Sottile. Leah’s book Blazing Eye Sees All investigates American New Age culture and examines how self-proclaimed prophetesses, like Love Has Won’s Amy Carlson, have managed to create kingdoms for themselves. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
What's your zodiac sign? Chances are, you know the answer. Even if you don't consider yourself spiritual in any way, you may check your horoscope from time to time. Had your palm read? Maybe you've even held onto a cool-looking crystal that a friend gave you. Put it somewhere as decoration. Not because you believe it has spiritual powers, but because it couldn't hurt, right? Of course not.
If it makes you feel better, that's great. Aside from the dust it collects, it's not causing any harm. But not all New Age ideas are considered the same. New Age belief systems and conspiracy theories are so often blended together that two academics coined the term conspirituality.
The distance between tarot cards and a new world order run by alien lizard people may be a lot shorter than you think. Take Amy Carlson, for example.
It became really disturbing for me to understand that Amy created this belief system. She created this group. It was almost like a game of Dungeons and Dragons, right? Where she was like the dungeon master and she's coming up with all the rules and people are playing it her way. But when she said, time out, like I need to go to a hospital, the people in her game kept her in it.
They just provided her with more of the same thing that actually was killing her.
Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. You can find us here every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at The Conspiracy Pod, and we would love to hear from you. If you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts.
To help us tell today's story, our team spoke with journalist Leah Satilli, author of the book Blazing Eye Sees All, an investigation of American New Age culture, particularly how self-proclaimed prophetesses like Love Has Ones Amy Carlson have managed to create kingdoms for themselves within our society. We're so grateful for her time and insights. Stay with us.
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