Conspiracy Theories In New Age Cults - Derek Beres

Derek Beres is an author & media expert, the Senior Editor at Eco & co-host of the Conspirituality podcast. Far left yoga mums and far right trolls aren't the most obvious pairing that you would put together, however these unlikely ideological allies have more in common than you might think. Much of the thinking within these groups has converged in recent years and Derek is here to explain how this happens. Expect to learn how the term conspiracy has been diluted down to mean all manner of things now, the typical characteristics of a cult leader, why conspiracy theories are so seductive to the people tempted by them, how spirituality adds a different flavour to conspiratorial tropes, whether I need to stop saying hello cult members and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Learn how to skip college and get Praxis’ free book on the success mindset at https://discoverpraxis.com/modernwisdom/ (discount automatically applied) Get 20% discount on everything from Lucy at https://uk.lucy.co/ (UK) or https://lucy.co/ (US) (use code: MW20) Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Check out Derek's website - http://derekberes.com/ Check out Conspirituality - https://conspirituality.net/ Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #conspirituality #cults #spirituality - 00:00 Intro 00:28 Origins of Conspirituality 05:35 Who is More Vulnerable to Conspiracy Theories? 09:54 How QAnon Infiltrated the Yoga Community 25:15 Omniscience & Lack of Humility 37:32 Why Conspirituality Cults are Seductive 47:27 Common Traits of Cult Leaders 1:00:22 Effectiveness of Deplatforming 1:04:43 Is an Ethical Cult Possible? 1:08:43 Far Left vs Far Right 1:13:11 Where to Find Derek - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Derek BeresguestChris Williamsonhost

Mar 24, 20221h 13mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: March 24, 2022
Duration: 1h 13m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Derek Beres is an author & media expert, the Senior Editor at Eco & co-host of the Conspirituality podcast. Far left yoga mums and far right trolls aren't the most obvious pairing that you would put together, however these unlikely ideological allies have more in common than you might think. Much of the thinking within these groups has converged in recent years and Derek is here to explain how this happens. Expect to learn how the term conspiracy has been diluted down to mean all manner of things now, the typical characteristics of a cult leader, why conspiracy theories are so seductive to the people tempted by them, how spirituality adds a different flavour to conspiratorial tropes, whether I need to stop saying hello cult members and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Learn how to skip college and get Praxis’ free book on the success mindset at https://discoverpraxis.com/modernwisdom/ (discount automatically applied) Get 20% discount on everything from Lucy at https://uk.lucy.co/ (UK) or https://lucy.co/ (US) (use code: MW20) Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Check out Derek's website - http://derekberes.com/ Check out Conspirituality - https://conspirituality.net/ Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #conspirituality #cults #spirituality - 00:00 Intro 00:28 Origins of Conspirituality 05:35 Who is More Vulnerable to Conspiracy Theories? 09:54 How QAnon Infiltrated the Yoga Community 25:15 Omniscience & Lack of Humility 37:32 Why Conspirituality Cults are Seductive 47:27 Common Traits of Cult Leaders 1:00:22 Effectiveness of Deplatforming 1:04:43 Is an Ethical Cult Possible? 1:08:43 Far Left vs Far Right 1:13:11 Where to Find Derek - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Derek Beres
guest
Chris Williamson
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Derek Beres and Chris Williamson, Conspiracy Theories In New Age Cults - Derek Beres explores how New Age Wellness Became A Gateway To Conspiracy Cults Chris Williamson and Derek Beres explore “conspirituality,” the fusion of New Age spirituality and conspiracy thinking, particularly within yoga and wellness communities. Beres explains how social isolation, weak offline networks, and privileged, politically disengaged wellness cultures made these communities vulnerable during COVID and beyond. They examine how platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencer grift, and in‑group/out‑group tribalism fuel radicalization, anti-vaccine rhetoric, and even QAnon penetration into yoga circles. The conversation also covers media trust, deplatforming, cult dynamics, and the difficulty of maintaining nuance and humility in an attention-driven online ecosystem.

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