35: Séance Science (w/Susannah Crockford)

Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States yesterday, proving the long-awaited QAnon prophecy false. It’s the perfect time to talk about where mystical or deceptive knowledge comes from, how it works, and what happens when it fails. We may never know who Q was, but we can take a close look at a core feature of conspirituality technique: the transmission of secret knowledge.

Welcome to our channeling episode.

Today we discuss three Q-adjacent channellers: JZ Knight, Lorie Ladd, Elizabeth April, and also Paul Selig. What do they say they’re doing? What does it sound like? And where can we go to figure it out?

Derek looks at consciousness studies through the lens of Rodolfo Llinas, Stanislas Dehaene, Michael Gazzaniga, and other renowned researchers. Julian reviews the philosophical arguments of Daniel Dennett and Susan Blackmore. Matthew plays angel’s advocate and interviews Professor Susannah Crockford about her anthropological fieldwork amongst the New Agers and channelers of Sedona. TL;DR: “There’s never a single answer for anything.”

In the Ticker we look at a tragic anti-vax related father-son murder-suicide in California, anti-vax groups grifting PPP money from the feds, and the Anons, exiled even from Parler, suffering from the collapse of their dream of a Great Awakening.

Show Notes

Father-son murder-suicide over anti-vax stress

The Trump administration bailed out prominent anti-vaccine groups during a pandemic

Scientists Investigate Spiritualist Mediums: Why Some People Report “Hearing the Dead”

Hydroxy-pusher Simone Gold arrested for part in Capitol Siege

QAnon will be scrutinized by National Intel Agencies

Parler refugees prepped for Doomsday

QAnon implodes online

QAnon admins nuke then restore threads

QAnauguration meltdown

Argentino and Amarasingam on QAnon prophecies failing

Kevin Roose’s excellent profile of QAnon “meme queen”

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