…

Conspirituality

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Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis. 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.

#374

Bonus Sample: Matt Christman & the Silence

On September 19, Matt Christman was hospitalized with, in the words of his colleagues on the podcast Chapo Trap House: “a sudden, severe medical emergency that will require a significant period of recovery.” His wife was scheduled to deliver their first child a few days later. Baby arrived in good health. Christman is as of this moment still hospitalized, but making some progress. Matthew reflects on the hard left passions and despondent ecstasies of a beloved and sometimes hated dirtbag charismatic—and sends him peace and love in the silence, wherever it leads. Show Notes [Forward Left: An Interview with Matt Christman of Chapo Trap House - CounterPunch.org] (https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/02/08/forward-left-an-interview-with-matt-christman-of-chap-trap-house/) [CushVlogs - YouTube] (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhxUDrMFUqyMQSozC1ES-Q4BkT8MJbY_1) [The Chapo Dilemma – Souciant] (https://souciant.media/2017/07/the-chapo-dilemma/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

Yesterday

14 MINS

14:53

Yesterday

#373

Deep Cut: The Dalai Lama Spectacle

Deep Cut pulls from our bonus episode archive to unearth previous ideas that remain relevant today. What the hell happened between the Dalai Lama and that Indian boy? The internet served up a raft of painfully inflammatory takes, so I took a month to talk with Tibetologists and review the literature on sexual abuse in Tibetan Buddhist contexts. This is a deep, tangled dive. Content warnings apply. Chapters: 1--Why cover this, and why now? 2--Summary 3--The Clip 4--Virality 5--Two Orientalisms 6--Outrages and Pilled Mindset 7--What do Tibetans and their allies say? 8--Kazi Adi Shakti, Thi Nguyen, Becca Williams Deep Cut Intro Music Single Origins — [Pete Kuzma] (https://open.spotify.com/artist/1soVmt3it3JPNte29yAPXa?si=QP_FZZUIQcCcHw4kEuaswg) Show Notes [Stop Sensationalizing the Dalai Lama's Innocent Interactions | A Tibetan's Perspective] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38uylAkhHU) [Yin Sun] (https://twitter.com/NiSiv4/status/1644627271163039745) [རྒྱ་གར་མཐོ་སློབ་ཀྱི་བྱིས་པ་ཞིག་གིས་མཇལ་ཁ་ཞུས་པ།] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ2mpQz7TZ8) [Cardi B on Twitter: This world is full of predators.] (https://twitter.com/iamcardib/status/1645458556026597376) [The Dalai Lama is clearly pedo inclined. He wrote a statement (in third person) after we posted the clip below.] (https://twitter.com/realstewpeters/status/1645416677847310340) [https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/1645530569042956289] (https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/1645530569042956289) [MIA on vaccines, vindication and her visions of Jesus: ‘People fear me for some reason’] (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/14/mia-on-vaccines-vindication-and-her-visions-of-jesus-people-fear-me-for-some-reason) [Himalayan Community comes out with massive outpour of support for HH the Dalai Lama] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=UpFWYzGVWlI&fbclid=IwAR3CWyPjCYEXVB7sOu256SWTTDzTAlmco2S5_FAEVwzcKWEeyDukJQdl-tA) [https://thewalrus.ca/survivors-of-an-international-buddhist-cult-share-their-stories/] (https://thewalrus.ca/survivors-of-an-international-buddhist-cult-share-their-stories/) [Survivors of an International Buddhist Cult Share Their Stories | The Walrus] (https://thewalrus.ca/survivors-of-an-international-buddhist-cult-share-their-stories/) [‘Abuse of Power’ (1999) | open buddhism] (https://openbuddhism.org/abuse-of-power-1999/) [Confessions of Kalu Rinpoche] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Ka3bEN1rs) [‘Not The Tibetan Way’: The Dalai Lama’s Realpolitik Concerning Abusive Teachers | open buddhism] (https://openbuddhism.org/not-the-tibetan-way-the-dalai-lamas-realpolitik-concerning-abusive-teachers/) [Independent: Sexual Abuse Allegations in Tibetan Buddhism] (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dalai-lama-sexual-abuse-allegations-buddhist-teachers-assault-a8540076.html?fbclid=IwAR06wqLkD5R_sUr1oOPOJ1YozCtoHD2JAPpWkphK3Nvz0mvOdRKs6oewsyE) [Mind & Life Institute statement on the Dalai Lama] (http://r.messages.mindandlife.org/mk/mr/zerBf0iFJ6BFQtCVrQ38P6iALIy6Jd49cm8X3U_0Hm2se9B0QHtJthnsOTP3zyj7MpYfwkQ949cYFQhdw4wm6xHinmgCEOPCB09Q8wUH5Yo9vHc4g4NaGElu6ylGSofMAq-GTUJ5) [Mongolian child named by Dalai Lama as reincarnation of Buddhism's third most important leader | Daily Mail Online] (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11894335/Mongolian-child-named-Dalai-Lama-reincarnation-Buddhisms-important-leader.html) [China: Dalai Lama furore reignites Tibet 'slave' controversy - BBC News] (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65307709) [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq4hDfaLe6d/] (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq4hDfaLe6d/) [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_1L77vl2L/] (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_1L77vl2L/) [Attune to the Body Cues of the Boy in the Dalai Lama Incident + Open Offer for Counseling to the Boy] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTeS4Qynx8g) [https://twitter.com/LizCrokin/status/1645971419447148545] (https://twitter.com/LizCrokin/status/1645971419447148545) [Tibetans Say the Dalai Lama’s ‘Suck My Tongue’ Viral Video Is Being Misinterpreted] (https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7evaw/dalai-lama-suck-my-tongue-video-tibet-china) Brother Lobsang [commentary] (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq5TrZEt28S/) “Eat my Tongue” [explanation] (https://www.facebook.com/giaco.orofino/posts/pfbid0293F15tPxqvq2kKuAg7pey2eqQ3Xpdv6JWycxgw7Lg8Qk2EDLQsr1ZLh1vYvZz4RPl) Giaco Orofino [commentary] (https://www.facebook.com/giaco.orofino/posts/pfbid0293F15tPxqvq2kKuAg7pey2eqQ3Xpdv6JWycxgw7Lg8Qk2EDLQsr1ZLh1vYvZz4RPl) [HH Dalai Lama Archetype of Radical Innocence with Robert Thurman : On The Recent Viral Video] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f62zivSnTQM&t=203s) Kazi Adi Shakti's [essay] (https://www.facebook.com/myheartisyoung/posts/pfbid02tPhHLsmsndeSfeVJ1pfACgsZTVJYRCArPzYhHfCG8KSCXXnH6mTzmLJ86FMveWgWl) [Holopoiesis] (https://holo-poiesis.com/) [MORAL OUTRAGE PORN C. Thi Nguyen and Bekka Williams] (https://philarchive.org/archive/NGUMOP) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

30 Sep 2023

1 HR 34 MINS

1:34:52

30 Sep 2023

#372

173: Psychedelic Capitalism (w/Psymposia)

The market for psychedelics is projected to grow from $2 billion in 2020 to $10.75 billion by 2027—a growth rate that could outpace the legal US cannabis market. Many high-profile investors and celebrities are entering the space, often under the pretense of funding breakthrough mental health interventions. But…is that the real concern? Microdosing to help depression, anxiety, addiction, or suicidal ideation are all laudable goals. But is that what’s really happening in the psychedelics space? Derek is joined by Psymposia co-founder, editor, and producer, Brian Normand; medicine, society, and culture research fellow, Neşe Devenot, PhD; and managing editor and harm reduction advocate, David Nickles. This far-reaching discussion about the history and future of psychedelics touches upon numerous aspects of this burgeoning industry. Show Notes [Psymposia] (https://www.psymposia.com/) [Church of Psilomethoxin, Part 1: Sacramental Skepticism. Is the Church in Denial?] (https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/church-of-psilomethoxin-part-1-sacramental-skepticism-is-the-church-in-denial-church-of-the-sacred-synthesis/) [Right-Wing Psychedelia: Case Studies in Cultural Plasticity and Political Pluripotency] (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733185/full) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

28 Sep 2023

1 HR 20 MINS

1:20:27

28 Sep 2023

#371

Bonus Sample: A Theory of Motivation

We’ve spent the last three-and-a-half years criticizing a range of wellness ideas, charismatic charlatans, abusive self-styled gurus, and conspiracy theories. We’ve also discussed our own beliefs and highlighted many people and ideas that we believe are getting it right. Derek has never really explored what motivates him on a physical and mental level despite having spent many years doing so inside of gyms and studios. This is no motivational speech, but rather an exploration of a motivational mindset, weighed against how some popular influencers position the concept. Derek uses his recent experience summiting Mt St Helens to frame the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

25 Sep 2023

04 MINS

04:58

25 Sep 2023

#370

Brief: Russell Brand

In light of the recent allegations, Matthew offers a backgrounder on what we’ve learned about Brand through conspirituality and cultic studies and from his opportunistic relationships to wellness, self-help, and Kundalini Yoga. Ending with a focus on how his yoga world LARPing became a launch pad for his success as a spirituality-coded conspiracy theorist in the age of COVID. Go to [HelloFresh.com/50conspirituality] (HelloFresh.com/50conspirituality) and use code 50conspirituality for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Get 50% off up to $20 and zero delivery fees on your first order when you download the DoorDash app and enter code CONSPIRITUALITY. Show Notes [Conspirituality 97: Brand Awareness] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/97-brand-awareness?rq=brand) [Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse] (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-rape-sexual-assault-abuse-allegations-investigation-v5hxdlmb6) [Russell Brand - In Plain Sight (Dispatches) [couchtripper] - video Dailymotion] (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8o4deh) [BBC and police begin inquiries as Russell Brand faces more claims] (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-news-dispatches-latest-allegations-f6z2nw9tx) [Russell Brand: BBC resists calls to release complaints filed against presenter] (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-bbc-resists-calls-to-release-complaints-filed-against-presenter-23zn2wpn0) [Russell Brand's Charismatic Bullshit - by Derek Beres] (https://derekberes.substack.com/p/russell-brands-charismatic-bullshit) [Russell Brand helps the homeless with his yoga teacher... and his new tantric tattoos | Daily Mail Online] (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2170187/Russell-Brand-helps-homeless-yoga-teacher--new-tantric-tattoos.html) [Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse] (https://lamag.com/featured/yogi-bhajan) [Conspirituality 36: Guru Jagat's Pandemic Brandwash] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/36-guru-jagats-pandemic-brandwash-philip-deslippe-stacie-stukin?rq=jagat) [Conspirituality 37: Guru Jagat Cultjacks Kundalini Yoga] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/37-guru-jagat-cultjacks-kundalini-yoga-philip-deslippe-stacie-stukin?rq=jagat) [Conspirituality 64: Remembering Guru Jagat] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/64-remembering-guru-jagat-a-panel?rq=jagat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Sep 2023

37 MINS

37:07

23 Sep 2023

#369

172: Why Always the Jews? (w/Mike Rothschild)

Who could be a better guide through the fever dream of modern anti-semitism—the socialism of fools—than a scrappy young scion of the House of Rothschild? How has Mike, this mysterious insider—visible on CNN but a seeming ghost in real life—used his inheritance and connections to score book deals with the Fake News Media? Will he redeem his family name? Just joking! Author and friend of the pod Mike Rothschild is no relation to the banking family that has lived rent-free in the minds of antisemites and conspiracy theorists for over two centuries now. He is the author of 2021’s The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything. His new book out less that two years later, is Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories. Mike joins us now from his summer palace in the South of France, um, actually his home office in Los Angeles to discuss the very stupid but dangerous groundswell of Jew hatred now filling our feeds. Go to [HelloFresh.com/50conspirituality] (http://HelloFresh.com/50conspirituality) and use code 50conspirituality for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Get 50% off up to $20 and zero delivery fees on your first order when you download the DoorDash app and enter code CONSPIRITUALITY Show Notes [Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories] (https://bookshop.org/p/books/jewish-space-lasers-the-rothschilds-and-200-years-of-conspiracy-theories-from-waterloo-to-weather-w-eapons-mike-rothschild/19567587?aid=96853&ean=9781685890643&listref=re-frame-reading-list) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Sep 2023

55 MINS

55:56

21 Sep 2023

#368

Bonus Sample: You Can’t Just Take Things Away from People

When we deconstruct harmful ideas and beliefs—from antivax positions to reactionary social views—we will inevitably be seen or felt as attacking the relationships that people form through those views. That’s a big problem in a lonely world, and there will be blowback. What to do? Matthew steps off the debunkery hamster wheel, and remembers an old piece of yoga advice. Show Notes [The Religious Case Against Belief by James P. Carse] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/302326/the-religious-case-against-belief-by-james-p-carse/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

18 Sep 2023

10 MINS

10:18

18 Sep 2023

#367

Brief: The Planet is Burning, Man (w/Tommy Diacono)

Burning Man 2023 will forever be burned in memory with two images: a group of climate activists blocking the single road into Black Rock City and the sea of mud that a climate change-induced hurricane turned the playa into. The jigsaw puzzle is pretty complete. Will Burners see it? Tommy Diacono is a five-time Burner. He also helped organize the protest. He joins two-time Burner Derek for a discussion about why his crew blocked the roads, the importance of rituals, and the importance of knowing when rituals need to end. Show Notes [FULL VIDEO: Climate Protesters Shut Down BURNING MAN, Rangers Ram Through Blockade] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8fDM60MS84) [Tommy Diacono on Instagram] (https://www.instagram.com/tommydiacono/) [Burn it all down — Derek Beres] (https://derekberes.substack.com/p/burn-it-all-down) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

16 Sep 2023

27 MINS

27:03

16 Sep 2023

#366

171: Cracking the Mirror World (w/Naomi Klein)

Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World is a polymathic work that serves up new political heuristics with the firepower we’ve come to expect from the coiner of “disaster capitalism.” A Dante-spiral through our circles of cultural hell, it’s also a memoir of demoralization, self-evaluation, and persistent hope. If this sounds overly ambitious or grandiose—that’s a fair suspicion in this age of galaxy-brained pundits who want to write *that book about everything.* In less humble, less feminist hands, a project like this could feel like a vanity vehicle for an author’s unbearably brilliant mind. But that doesn’t happen here, because Klein’s intersectional discipline—which despite many flights of fancy, she never abandons—serves the values of economic, racial, and climate justice, and she does it by always citing her sources and elevating the voices of the marginalized. Derek, Julian, and Matthew discuss briefly before Klein joins Matthew to discuss her way into and out of this bizarre and demoralizing land. Show Notes [Doppelganger] (https://naomiklein.org/doppelganger/) — Naomi Klein Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

14 Sep 2023

1 HR 20 MINS

1:20:39

14 Sep 2023

#365

Bonus Sample: Swamp Creatures 2: Roger Stone

The Forrest Gump dandy of right-wing dirty tricks is in the news again. Strategizing from the Willard Hotel as January 6 unfolded; protected by a coterie of now convicted Oathkeepers; captured on video dictating Trump’s fake electors scheme for an email. These are just a few of the things Roger Stone has done. Stone may be the swampiest of Deep State operatives our politics has seen. Julian gives a colorful breakdown of this longtime Trump ally who's been involved in every anti-democratic scheme, from Watergate to Bush’s 2000 steal to 2016’s Russian interference—raking in millions from the “torturer’s lobby” along the way. Stone has always slithered away from accountability, but maybe this time he’ll pay the price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

11 Sep 2023

10 MINS

10:53

11 Sep 2023

#364

Brief: Review of Naomi Klein’s "Doppelganger"

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World is an exuberant, polymathic effort, in which Klein develops several new political heuristics that pack the punch we’ve come to expect from the originator of “disaster capitalism.” Reading it is like getting walloped by a novel political theory virus— or a potent vaccine for the times. It’s also a Dante-esque spiral down through our endless circles of historical and cultural hell. Klein’s core subject is the “Mirror World” we now battle in: a place where our digital avatars occlude our bodies, where morbid fantasies blot out fact-checked histories, where the fool’s gold of influencers outshines the daily work of researchers. It’s a place where antimaskers steal the “I can’t breathe” cry of George Floyd, and antivax influencers pretend they are being led to the gas chambers. It’s a place where selfish demagogues appropriate and mimic the poetry of social justice, but only for a select few. It’s where MAGA movement architect Steve Bannon LARPs as a therapist for the common man. Doppelganger has landed like a Rosetta Stone for divining the incoherent politics of the figures we’ve covered all these years—and the cultural and moral vacuums they fill. But most surprisingly—and we think our listenership will be grateful for this—this rich memoir of demoralization and self-evaluation also offers a deep undercurrent of persistent hope. Sign up today at [butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY] (https://www.butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY) and use code CONSPIRITUALITY to get two 100% grass-fed filet mignons and two wild-caught lobster tails for FREE in your first box plus $20 off your first order. Show Notes [Doppelganger] (https://naomiklein.org/doppelganger/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

09 Sep 2023

58 MINS

58:01

09 Sep 2023

#363

170: The Age of Insurrection (w/David Neiwert)

Do you ever feel like American society is caught in limbo? The bardo-realm between two election cycles. The dial-up static between invasive social media and quarantine isolation. Stacking sandbags against the deluge of conspiracies and disinformation as we await the slow-motion countermeasures of science and the justice system. The disruptions of Trump, COVID, QAnon, conspirituality, and January 6 all still frame our everyday lives, even as we attempt a return to a normalcy that was always tenuous at best. Whatever happens over the next few months, the oven of 2024 looks preheated for chaos—yet, one by one, the treasonous conspiracy-mongering liars who peaked in 2020 are being forced to deal with cold legal consequences. Our guest today is award-winning journalist and author David Neiwert, whose book The Age of Insurrection explains how we got here—and points a way forward. Sign up today at [butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY] (https://www.butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY) and use code CONSPIRITUALITY to get two 100% grass-fed filet mignons and two wild-caught lobster tails for FREE in your first box plus $20 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

07 Sep 2023

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:29

07 Sep 2023

#362

Bonus Sample: The Perils of "Free Speech"

Claiming your First Amendment rights are being violated is a sure way to have the spotlight shone on you. It's also an effective way to shut down criticism of whatever you're selling. From the 1940s-60s, supplements manufacturers used the free speech gambit to keep regulators away from their products, resulting in a 1969 Supreme Court case. Derek looks at the 20th century evolution of medical regulations, and how companies are still using a similar argument to dissuade consumers from looking too deeply into what's inside the bottle. Sign up today at [butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY] (https://www.butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY) and use code CONSPIRITUALITY to get two 100% grass-fed filet mignons and two wild-caught lobster tails for FREE in your first box plus $20 off your first order. Show Notes [Dietary Supplements: A Framework for Evaluating Safety] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216048/) [United States v Kordel] (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1969/87) [Some Implications of the Kordel Decision] (https://www.jstor.org/stable/26651733) [163: The Huberman Paradox] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/163-the-huberman-paradox-jonathan-jarry) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

04 Sep 2023

06 MINS

06:56

04 Sep 2023

#361

Brief: Slavery is Not a Form of Hustle

One piece of connective tissue between the right and wellness influencers we cover is their liberal use of the language of Civl Rights to describe their completely incomparable grievances. Derek covers a few recent examples, centered around one particularly troublesome analogy by a tech-bro entrepreneur using slavery as an analogy for his hustle. Sign up today at [butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY] (https://www.butcherbox.com/CONSPIRITUALITY) and use code CONSPIRITUALITY to get two 100% grass-fed filet mignons and two wild-caught lobster tails for FREE in your first box plus $20 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

02 Sep 2023

21 MINS

21:51